Forgotten Love
by Rosie118
Summary: When Cassandra Jones, the daughter of Captain Hook, is brought to Neverland with her father & his crew, she meets the one & only Peter Pan. But knowing the demon Pan truly is, Hook removes the boy from his daughter's memory & sends her back to the Enchanted Forest. Years later, Cassandra is back in Neverland & Pan will do anything to keep her from leaving his side ever again.
1. And Straight On 'Til Morning

_**Summary: When Cassandra Jones, daughter of Captain Hook, is brought to Neverland with her father and his crew, there she meets the one and only Peter Pan. But knowing the demon Pan truly is, Hook removes the boy from his daughter's memory and sends her back to the Enchanted Forest. Years later, Cassandra is back in Neverland & Pan will do anything in his power to keep her from leaving his side ever again.**_

My father, David and I came running through the door of Granny's. David held my father's leather pouch in the air, exclaiming that they had a magic bean to save the town. As everyone cheered, I noticed in the crowd that someone was missing. Worried that my mom had been hurt, I leave my father's side and ran over to my little brother.

"Henry, where's mom? Have you seen her?"

Before he could answer, Emma cuts in. "That's what we wanted to tell you guys," Emma begins, "Regina can hold off the self-destruct device long enough for us to escape but," then she stops. But what? What was she not telling us? Then it dawned on me. No, no she wouldn't.

Knowing what Emma was going to say next, I placed my hands on top of Henry's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. Henry looked at me, then back to Emma. Being the smart kid he was, Henry knew something was wrong too.

"But what?" he asked.

Emma stared at Henry not sure whether she should tell him or not. She took one look at me and she could tell that I knew. "But, she won't survive."

"No, no!"

"I'm sorry, but I promised her I'd get you and your sister both to safety."

"But we can't do this, she's family! We don't leave family behind," Henry exclaims. Still holding onto him, I shut my eyes tightly to keep the tears from falling.

"I know, but this is what she wants," Emma said, "We have a way out and we need to take it."

"We saved her from the wraith, how is this any different?"

I turned my attention to Snow and David to see what they were thinking and by the look on Snow's face, an idea had gone off in her head.

"The wraith!" Snow exclaimed.

"What?" Emma and I asked.

"We sent it through a portal, why can't we do the same with the self-destruct?" I immediately perk up. She's right, why can't we?

"Because we don't know if it's going to work?"

"It could" Snow argued.

"It's too risky," Emma said trying to stay practical, "no one will go along with this."

"Yes, we will" Archie said stepping in, "it's the right thing to do. Snow White and the Prince have led us before and we have always won, so who is willing to let them lead us again?"

People began to raise their hands and voice in their agreements to the plan to save Regina.

"Thank you, Archie" Snow said, "This is what we should do."

"And will do." David added.

"Here, here!" everyone chanted. Henry turned himself around in my arms and hugs me as I give him one in return.

"I know we haven't had a lot of chances to be parents," Snow says to Emma, "but give us this one. A chance to do the right thing, it's not too late."

"I just don't want him to be alone," Emma said looking at Henry, "I don't want him to grow up the way I did."

Before David could respond, the floor in Granny's diner shook violently below us, knocking me to the ground and pulling Henry with me. After a few seconds, the trembling finally stopped.

"Henry? Henry are you okay?" I asked. He nodded his head as we both stood up from the help of Snow and David. Emma looked frightened by the recent events and I was worried she wouldn't go forward with the new plan.

"This plan could fail," Emma said anxiously, "We use that bean now and we can get away for sure."

"But it's wrong Emma! I killed her mother."

"You killed Cora because you had too."

"I did it because it was easy." Snow admitted, "It was a mistake. There were other ways. Harder paths and I wished that I had taken them so please, Emma, let's take the hard path. Because if we don't, we will be building a future on Regina's blood."

Emma looked around at everyone's faces, deciding on what she should do.

"Okay," she agreed.

When I heard her say that, I felt my shoulders relax and I let out this huge breath I didn't even realize I was holding in, until now. I watch David throw the leather pouch to Emma, but my father swooped in and catches it instead.

"You're all mad," he intruded. "I can live with myself."

"Give it back" Emma demanded.

"She wants to die for us, then I say let her," he spat.

"Papa!" I shouted.

"Come now Cassandra, we are leaving," he said yanking me away from Henry and the others.

"No!" I yelled pulling out of his grasp, "Yes, I know Regina has done terrible things, but she has spent the last 28 years taking care of me. She's family, we can't let her die, please Papa" I begged. As I tried to reason with him, I could tell he needed more convincing. I then thought of something that I was sure I'd regret later, but I had no choice. I had a mother who needed saving right now.

"My own mother abandoned me, you told me that yourself. Then you meet Milah and the moment we become a family, we lost her. Then 28 years ago, Regina took me in, and she has been the best mother I could ever ask for. Now you're here telling me you're okay with her dying?" I choked out, ""I already lost two mothers, I can't bear to lose a third...please."

My eye sight became blurry and I try to keep the tears from falling, but it was no use. My father continued to stare at me and I could tell he was fighting back his own tears. My step mother Milah, was the first woman my father ever loved, but the moment she died, he vowed to get revenge. However, as years went on, that hunger for revenge soon took over his life. I know using our past was such a crappy move, but I needed him to give me that bean. As I was waiting for my father to decide, I could feel everyone's eyes on us. After a few more moments, my father lifted his head to look at me.

"I only wanted what was best for you," he said giving in. I wiped my tears away while holding my hand out, so he could give me the pouch. After I gave Emma the pouch, everyone started making their way out of the diner, but I decided to stay a little longer. Henry didn't leave either, but I told him to go on ahead.

"I'm sorry for bringing Milah, but what I said before is true Papa. Regina's been amazing, she even took me in before the curse ever happened." I explained. "I know you don't care for her that much, but please try to like her. For me?" I asked with pleading eyes.

"Anything for you lass," he said pulling me in for a hug.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face into his jacket.

"I love you, Papa."

"Aye, and I love you."

As we ran through the mines looking for Regina, we finally found her in a cavern near the end of the mine.

"Mom!" Henry and I yelled out.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded when she saw us.

"You were willing to die for us, that makes you a hero" Henry told her.

David went on and explained how we were going to open a portal and toss the self-destruct into it. Though, just like Emma, she didn't believe it would work. Henry and I begged for her to let us try this because we didn't want to risk losing her.

Getting ready, David veered us off to the side, and waited for Emma to give him the bean. Noticing it was taking too long, David asked Emma what was wrong.

"It's empty." Emma said disbelieving.

"What?" David exclaimed as he took the pouch from his daughter.

"Papa." I stated angrily. I couldn't believe him, and here I thought he truly cared.

"I can't contain this much longer" mom said, her voice strained. We all looked at each other, not knowing what else to do.

Emma cried out to her 'mom' and 'dad' and brought the five of us into a group hug. Henry pulled himself away and walks to Mom hugging her from the side. Mom smiled sadly before resting her head onto Henry's. She motioned me over and I slipped under her other arm.

"I love you both," she said to both of us, "I just wish I was strong enough to stop all of this. I'm just not."

Mom broke into tears as Henry and I hugged closer to her.

"You may not be strong enough," Emma exclaimed, "but maybe we are." She said pointing at the three of us.

Henry, Snow and David caught on and moved themselves away from us. Emma is right, if we combined her magic, with mine and Mom's, we were bound to stop the self-destruct. Together we had enough power to revert it to its dormant form, sending a huge blast that knocked all of us off our feet. As we struggled to get back up, I saw Tamara tying Henry's hands together and drag him away. Before I could yell for help, I felt a hand clamp over my mouth. I look up to see it was Greg. I go to use magic to send him flying against the cave walls, but nothing happened. He continued binding my hands together behind my back and dragged me out of the mines with Tamara and Henry in front of us.

"Let go of me!" I grunt as I tried to break free of Greg's grasp, but he had a tight hold on me.

"Relax, we're not going to hurt you" Tamara told us.

"Just everybody we love, you tried to blow up Storybrooke. Not to mention what you did to my dad!" Henry exclaimed.

"That was never the point."

"Are you sure?"

"See, we came here to destroy magic Henry," Greg explained, "but we found something more important, something that changed everything."

Henry and I stopped walking and we both looked at him questioningly. I didn't like where this was going.

"The two of you." He finished, before he gave me a hard shove to keep moving forward. We reached the end of the pier and from there Tamara threw a bean into the water.

"Where the hell are you taking us!" I demanded.

"You'll see."

"Henry! Cassie!" I heard the voices of our family calling from a distance. Greg and Tamara took one look at each other before pulling us into a run as we jumped off the pier and into the portal below us.


	2. Heart of the Truest Believer Pt 1

As soon as we touched ground, I hit face first into the sand. I slowly sat up, coughing sand out. I looked at my surroundings and it seemed like we were on some sort of abandoned beach. I turn my head and saw Henry next to me laying on his side. Even though my hands were tied, I did my best to help Henry sit up.

"Henry are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm okay but can't you use magic to get us out of these ropes?" he whispered.

"Believe me I tried, but for some reason my magic isn't working. I couldn't even use it back inside the mines," I answered.

"And they never will as long as that cuff remains on you," Greg cuts in. He must have noticed the confusion on my face, so he continued to explain things.

"Before our arrival in Storybrooke, Maine, we were given explicit information on how some of its residents held great power," he explained.

"And of course, we couldn't risk them foiling our mission, so we were given enchanted cuffs. Those cuffs render any trace of magic on those who wear it." Tamara said smugly.

I tried to move my arms to the side of me, so I could see this cuff they were talking about. That explained why I couldn't use my magic when we were back at the mines in Storybrooke. Greg must have slipped it on me when I wasn't looking before he kidnapped us. Speaking of Storybrooke, where did they take us?

"Since that's all taken care of, we finally made it. Mission accomplished" Tamara said looking satisfied.

"Are you sure about that?" Henry asked, "Because my mom is coming to get us, both of them." He said with pride in his voice.

"You might want to look around kid. Do you see you any clock towers?" Greg asked, "You're a long way from Storybrooke."

"Doesn't matter," Henry argued, "My family has travelled to the Enchanted Forest before. They can do it again."

As much as I loved my baby brother, I needed to teach him more about the place I grew up in. If we were in the Enchanted Forest, I would've known by now, and let me tell you, we were nowhere near the Enchanted Forest.

"Think again kid," Tamara scoffed, "We're in Neverland."

Neverland. The place my father sailed to after my stepmother Milah died. Though I've never been here myself, I have always _despised_ this island. It's the reason why I was alone for so many years.

"Neverland!" my brother exclaimed, "You're here to destroy Neverland?"

"It's the motherlode of all magic" Tamara claimed before turning to Greg and asked him for their communicator. She then mentioned something about contacting the home office.

I hate to tell her this, but who the bloody hell would have a home office in the middle of the jungle? I also, didn't want to tell her that because I've been on so many of my father's journeys, I was able to sense danger when it was near, and right now I had a feeling that whoever hired these two, didn't give them the full details. Especially on how to get out of here.

"Greg?" Tamara called out.

"What?"

Tamara told him that she wasn't getting any sort of signal on their device, so Greg left mine and Henry's side to figure out what was wrong. When he was far enough away, I moved closer to Henry. Although my hands are tied behind my back, I noticed how Henry's are tied in front of him, so maybe he could loosen the ropes on me.

"While they're distracted, do you think can loosen these?" I whispered leaning my hands back.

"I can try," he said attempting to untie me.

"Hurry Henry."

"I know, I'm doing the best I can Cass" he countered.

We then heard Tamara yelling and Henry and I looked at each other with wide eyes, afraid we've been caught.

"What the hell is this?" Tamara asked sounding freaked out, "A toy?" When Henry and I looked to see what was happening, we saw Greg emptying sand out of the walkie-talkie.

"Gee, let me guess, did the 'Home Office' give you that?" I asked already knowing the answer to it.

All Greg did was clench his jaw and looked back to Tamara before deciding on what the next move was.

"Get up you two," Greg ordered, "Time to get moving."

Greg pulled Henry and I up from the sand and pushed us towards the jungle. As we were walking, I leaned close to Henry so neither Greg or Tamara could hear.

"Were you able to loosen the ropes around my wrists?" I whispered into his ear. Henry looked at me and shook his head no. "It's fine," I sighed, "I'll think of something."

As we continued to walk through the jungle in silence, I started to hear children crying in the distance. Now over the years, I've heard many kids cry, but these cries were making me feel very unsettled. I asked Henry if he could hear it too, but he said no. It must be from walking in this jungle heat for so long, that it was finally messing with my head.

After minutes of walking in silence, Henry decided to start up a conversation. "So, how does it feel to be back?" Henry asked, "In Neverland I mean."

"There's nothing to feel because I have never been to Neverland Henry," I said stating the obvious.

"What? But your dad's Captain Hook, of course you've been to Neverland!" he claimed.

"Just because I'm his daughter, it doesn't automatically mean I've been here," I argued.

"Are you sure about that? Everyone else remembers their past lives, that includes you too, right?"

Before I could put an end to Henry's game of twenty questions, I didn't see Greg had stopped walking. So, when I continued forward, I collided my body into his and I stumbled backwards trying not to knock Henry over in the process.

"We're stopping here for the night," Greg said.

"Gee, really? I didn't notice." I said sarcastically.

Henry and I found a couple boulders to sit on as Tamara tightened the ropes on us, while Greg began on making a fire.

"Are you making s'mores?" Henry asked smartly. I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing. I could not have asked for a better little brother, I don't know what I would do without him.

"No," Greg answered, "I'm making a signal." Once he said that, my gut was telling me he shouldn't be doing that.

"You sure that's a wise idea? I mean, do you even know who you're working for?" I asked trying to send him signals myself.

"Shut it, pirate. I know what I'm doing," he spat shooting me look. He then sent Tamara away to gather more wood for his smoke signal so that the "Home Office" could find them.

"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you." I turned my head to look at Henry, letting him know to just keep his eyes and ears open. He nodded his head in agreement.

Tamara came back with some more the fire wood, but judging by the look on her face, I can see she was second guessing this plan. She headed on over next to Greg and threw the wood into the fire pit. Although they were a few feet away, I was still able to make out their conversation.

"I hate to admit this, but what if the girl's right?" Tamara whispered cautiously, "What if that empty communicator was no accident?" Glad to know that someone else around here was thinking straight.

"Don't let those kids get in your head." Greg soothed her.

Before Tamara could reply, we heard noises coming from the jungle. We all became on high alert; I moved in front of Henry preparing to use myself as a human shield while Greg and Tamara pulled out their hand guns. At least a dozen hooded figures, maybe more, appeared out of the darkness, each one carrying what seemed to be a hand-made weapon. As they inched closer to the light given from the fire, I saw they were all boys of all different ages.

It then dawned on me on who these boys were. Shit. Shit. SHIT. If the stories of what my father used to tell me are true, then we were in serious trouble.

Most of the boys looked the same, but one stood out, I'm guessing he was the leader. He was tall and thin, had dirty blond hair, but the feature that stood out the most on him was the scar on his face. It ran across the right side of his face, from the top of his eyebrow to the bottom of his chin.

"Who are you?" Greg asked trying to sound brave, but you could still hear the nerves in his voice, so he wasn't fooling anyone.

"We're the Home Office," the boy said, "Welcome to Neverland."

His voice, it sounded so familiar, but I've never even stepped foot into Neverland, at least not until now. Maybe I knew him back in the Enchanted Forest before the dark curse?

"The Home Office is a bunch of teenagers?" Tamara asked in disbelief.

"They're not teenagers," Henry said

"They're the Lost Boys," I added. The leader smirked at me, and when I saw that, it sparks up more familiarity.

"Why do the Lost Boys want to destroy magic?" Henry asked alarmed.

"Who says we want to destroy magic?" the Lost Boy asked back. I turned my head to see Greg clenching his jaw before getting in the Lost Boy's face.

"That was our mission." Greg said clenching his teeth.

"So, you were told," the boy shrugs as he took one look at me and my brother, "Now hand over the boy and girl."

"Not until you tell us the plan," Tamara demanded getting in front of us, "for magic, and for getting home."

Remember how I said I obtained the skill for sensing danger when it was near? Well, the situation we got ourselves into was practically screaming danger now, so here I was hoping Greg or Tamara decide not to make things worse for us.

"Now who said anything about getting home?" the boy taunted.

"Then you're not getting them," Greg responded as he tried to look more intimidating. I closed my eyes and inwardly groaned giving myself a mental slap to the forehead. And there it was, Greg just managed to make it worse.

"Think again," the leader said with a dark smile.

Then out of nowhere, a shadowy figure swooped out of the trees and passed right through Greg. He let out this blood curling scream as I watched what I assumed to be his shadow be torn from his body.

"Henry, run!" I screamed. I pushed him from behind and we began to sprint through the jungle. After a few yards in, I heard Tamara scream and when I looked over my shoulder, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw her faced down with an arrow in her back.

"Oh my god." I said in horror.

"Cassie, come on!" Henry spurred on.

Knowing he was right, we continued our running. We kept stumbling our way through the forest since our bounded hands were throwing off our balance. I made my way in front of Henry, leading the way until I felt myself trip over a vine. With that, I somehow set off a trap because next thing I knew, I was in a net, dangling in mid-air.

"Cassandra!" Henry yelled below.

Trying to figure out how to get myself free, I heard yelling from a distance. "Bloody hell." I cursed to myself, it wouldn't be much longer until they caught up and find us. "I'll be fine Henry, just worry about yourself right now! Those Lost Boys will be here any second, you have to go!" I urged.

"But I don't want to leave you!"

"No, I'll find a way to get out of this. You have to go, hurry!" I exclaimed. Henry looked back and forth between me and the jungle. I gave him a solid nod, letting him it was okay. He finally listened and took off sprinting again.

"Please be careful Henry." I whispered. Although I wasn't quite sure if I could say the same for myself.


	3. Heart of the Truest Believer Pt 2

_**Storybrooke – Past**_

" _Henry let's go!" Cassie calls out as she makes her way upstairs to her brother's room._

" _Henry come on, we got to get moving or mom's going to get mad again," she says opening the door. However, instead of finding her brother fully dressed and ready, Cassie Mills finds her little brother in his pajamas reading a book_. _"Seriously Henry?" Cassie asks in disbelief._

 _Startled at first by the sudden noise, Henry turns his attention away from his book, only to see his older sister standing in the doorway._

" _What time is it?" Henry asks, closing his book._

" _Uh, time for school? Is this what you've been doing for the last hour?" Cassie asks taking the book away from him. "I thought you were getting dressed and getting your books together!"_

" _I'm sorry, it's just, I got this new book and I can't stop reading it."_

 _As Henry begins to get dressed for school, Cassie looks at the book her brother was reading._

" _Once Upon a Time," Cassie reads aloud, "Henry, where did you get this?"_

" _My teacher, Ms. Blanchard. She said she found it one day in the back of her closet and gave it to me."_

 _Cassie nods her head as she starts to flip through the book herself. As she's skimming through it, she couldn't believe the amount of details that were put in for each picture or how the story of Snow White is so unbelievably different than the story she grew to know. For instance, Snow White had a daughter named Emma, who was then put into some magical wardrobe to escape some evil curse and was presumed to return 28 years later to break it? Seriously? But, what really got her attention was the story of Killian Jones and how he became the infamous Captain Hook. She became so fascinated in the book herself, she didn't see that Henry was done getting ready and was now waiting on her._

" _Cassie, did you hear me? I said I'm ready." Henry says breaking Cassie out of her trance._

" _Right, sorry baby brother! Do you have backpack?" she asks and Henry nods, "Okay, let's go before the school calls mom telling her we were late again."_

" _If we get in trouble, I'm blaming you." Henry teases._

" _Oh really?" Henry nods, "We'll just have to see about that!" Cassie says ruffling the boy's hair as he laughs trying to get her to stop._

 _ **Neverland – Present**_

 _Henry's POV_

Running in between the trees and avoiding branches, I think back to Cassie being stuck in that Lost Boy trap. I know she said to keep moving, but I couldn't just leave her like that, she's family and we don't leave family. I know it's risky, but I'm willing to take it, for Cassie, so I decide to go back. Before I can go any further, I feel someone pull me into the bushes and tell me to be quiet as we watch the Lost Boys run past us.

"What were you doing? Did you want Pan to catch you?" he asks throwing off his hood.

"My sister, Cassie got herself stuck in one of Pan's traps. I didn't want leave her there alone." I explain.

"There's no time, Pan and his forces are all over the island, they would've gotten to her by now. We must be careful or else we'll have the same faith as your sister." The boy warns. He looks around looking for something before I see him pick up a sharp rock.

"Are you a Lost boy too?" I ask as he begins to cut at the ropes around my wrists.

"I was," he answers, "I managed to escape, but now they're after me too."

He finally frees me, and I toss the rope over to the side. "Why are they after you?"

"Now's not the time for questions. It's best if we keep moving." He urges and the both of us take off in the other direction.

The two of us continue to race through the forest, until the Lost boy slows down to stop. He looks all around to see if the coast is clear.

"I think we lost them."

"Okay, can we rest for a minute?" I ask catching my breath.

He nods, so I take a seat on a large boulder. I close my eyes and try to regain my breathing. I think back to Cassie being stuck in that net and I only hope Pan hasn't gotten to her yet.

"You're new," the Lost boy states, "Did the Shadow bring you too?"

"No, my sister and I were kidnapped by some people who worked for Pan."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he frowns, "but if he sent for you, then he wants you. And if Pan wants you, he will get you." He says ominously.

What is that supposed to mean? Pan must have known that Greg and Tamara wanted to destroy magic and figured he use it to his advantage. But why have them kidnap us? How do we play a part in this? All these questions keep running through my head, I wish Cassie was here, she'd know what to do.

"Why does Pan want you?" I ask curiously.

He pulls away his scarves and shows me a small vile, that's partly full, hanging around his neck.

"Pixie dust, I stole it from thinking I could use it and fly home. But it doesn't work, it's useless." He says angrily.

"Don't worry," I tell him, "my family is coming to rescue me. You can come with us."

"You really think you're the first boy to ever think his family is actually coming for him?" he asks pityingly.

Knowing that won't happen, I put my hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "My family is different. We _always_ find each other." I state.

"Better hope they don't, or Pan will rip their shadows into oblivion." The Los boy warns.

"It's going to be okay, I promise. Don't lose hope." I smile softly. The Lost boy frowns but nods anyways. I then hear the Lost boys coming our way again. We need some place to hide where they can't find us. "Is there a place we can go, until it's safe?" I ask.

"There is, the Echo Caves, but it's far."

I look back into the forest and I can hear the Lost boys getting closer. "Then what are we waiting for, let's go!"

The Lost Boy nods his head and we make another run for it.

 _ **Storybrooke – Past**_

 _It was lunch time, so Cassie decided to give Ms. Blanchard a visit. She arrives at Ms. Blanchard's classroom and sees her teacher at her desk grading a few papers. Cassie knocks on the classroom door letting her teacher know of her presence._

 _Ms. Blanchard looks up from what she's doing and sees one of her students standing in the doorway._

" _Cassandra! What can I do for you?" she asks, pushing aside some paperwork._

" _Hi, Ms. Blanchard," Cassandra greets walking in, "So I found Henry this morning reading this book and he told me you gave it to him? I was just wondering where you got it from?"_

" _You mean the fairytale book? Oh um, I don't know to be exact, I was rummaging through my closet one day and it just fell out of nowhere. I must've had it as a child and I guess I've forgotten all about it." She explains._

" _But why give it to my brother? What made you think of him?"_

 _Ms. Blanchard motions Cassie to sit down, and Ms. Blanchard walks around to sit in the desk next to her student._

" _I saw Henry the other day during the lunch break and he seemed upset. He was telling me how he his birth mother never loved him and how he felt he didn't belong here."_

" _Of course, he belongs here! Yes, he and I are both adopted, but that doesn't change the amount of love we hold for each other." Cassie counters._

" _I know, which it is exactly why I gave Henry the story book."_

" _Fairytales though? There's no such thing as magic."_

" _It's not just about magic, it's about hope. It's like I told your brother, those stories are reminders that our lives will get better as long as we hold on to hope."_

" _Maybe." Cassie sighs, thinking back to those stories she read in that book._

 _ **Neverland – Present**_

 _Cassandra's POV_

I have no idea how long I've been hanging here, it feels like hours, but remembering in the letters my father would send me, that time works differently here in Neverland. Because this is a place where time stands still, for what may feel like hours, it could be days or months even. _"You lose track of time in this land and that can make any sailor go mad"_ my father wrote say in his letters. Great.

I would call out to someone for help, but who would come? The only habitants on this island are Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. And those were the last people I need to be saved by right now. I just hope Henry is somewhere far away and safe from all this. Ugh! If only my hands weren't tied behind my back, then I can rip this bloody cuff off me and I can use magic to free myself.

After letting out a frustrated cry, I hear soft chuckling from below.

"Having some trouble, are we now?"

I look down to see a boy, not much older than me, sixteen maybe, sitting against a tree. He had short light brown hair that sat above his ears and deep sea colored eyes that looked menacing, yet at the same time…pained? He was very good looking despite of his entire body being covered in dirt. He's dressed in patched-up clothing consisting of dark shades of green and brown. He wore a belt, along with a small dagger attached to his hip.

"You're Cassandra, right?" the boy asks. He pushes himself off the ground and begins wandering below. "Perhaps I could… lend a hand" he snickers.

"Who are you?" I demand, "Another one of Pan's Lost Boys?"

I don't know why, but I when I say that, he goes from smirking to frowning.

"You really don't remember me, do you?" he asks ignoring my question.

He makes it sound like I should already know who he is. It's like I keep saying, I've never been to Neverland, so I never had the pleasure of meeting Pan. And I plan to keep it that way.

"I'm going to give you one more chance, who the hell are you?" I ask again.

"Where are my manners," he taunts, "I'm Peter, Peter Pan." He says all nonchalant.

You have got to be kidding me. You can only imagine the look on my face when he says that.

"Judging by the look on your face, it seems you have heard of me."

"Where the hell is my brother?" I ask feeling my 'over protective big sister mode' kick in, "If you hurt him, I swear to god" I say clenching my teeth.

He doesn't even look bothered by my so called 'threat', he only smiles as if this was bringing amusement to him.

"You still got that fire in you," he says but he whispers something else and if I heard right I could've sworn he said, 'he misses it'. What did he mean by that?

"But, don't worry," Pan continues, "You'll see Henry soon enough." He stops and looks back up at me, giving me that same smug look he was giving me earlier. "In the meantime, I'd be more concerned about yourself right now. C'mon boys!" he shouts holding his dagger in the air as glances up at me with a crazed look in his eyes.

I look below and see the Lost Boys from earlier, along with some unfamiliar faces, come sauntering out of the forest. Pan uses the dagger to cut me down, allowing me to fall. My eyes go wide at the sudden release. I gasp as I plummet quickly to the ground. I struggle to break free from the net being all tangled around me. I then look up to see all the Lost Boys and Pan surrounding me. Pan gets down on his knees matching me to eye level and speaks loud enough so only the two of us can hear.

"You will be mine again Cassandra Jones" Pan chuckles darkly before standing back up, leaving me in utterly confusion.

"Let's play."


	4. Making a Deal

_Cassandra's Point of View:_

We trudge through the forest slowly, Lost Boys in front and behind me, with Pan by my side the entire way. I take a quick glance of my new surroundings, trying to figure out where I am. Moments later, we stop hiking and the Lost Boy with the scar running down his face, makes some sort of bird sound. Suddenly, a trail of torches flares up illuminating the woods in front us. We walk down the path leading to a large clearing. There was a large bonfire in the center, with tents and lean-tos surrounding the perimeter. This must be Pan's hideout.

"Welcome home." Pan says as he places his hand on top of my shoulder.

"Home?" I question.

He smirks and brings me deeper into the camp. He leads me over to the fire and motions me to sit. Somehow, I don't argue so, I plop myself down on a log.

"Hungry?" Pan asks as one of the Lost Boys brings over a bowl of fruit.

"No thanks," I mumble, "but what you can do is take this stupid cuff off me," I demand.

"Afraid I can't do that just yet."

"And why not?" I scoff, but he doesn't answer, "Can you at least untie me, then?" I ask shifting my body to show him my tied hands.

He nods this time and pulls out his dagger to cut the ropes. Once my hands are free, I immediately go to rub my wrists, but I wince in pain when I make contact. I look down to see mild rope burns had formed around my wrists.

"Let me help with that," Pan mumbles.

I watch him take my hands into his as he begins to gently massage my wrists. For a boy who is covered in dirt, his hands are surprisingly soft. His touch, though, sends a familiar chill down my spine, as if he's done this to me before. Getting rather uncomfortable now, I pull my hands away.

"That's enough massaging I think," I stutter, "I feel better now, thanks."

I lower my gaze to the ground and hope that my hair is covering enough of my face, so Pan wouldn't see the blush forming on my cheeks. Glancing through my lashes, I watch Pan stand up and walk closer to the fire.

"Now that everybody is here, let's bring out our other guest, shall we?" He grins widely. "Felix, would you care to do the honors?"

I turn my head to see the Lost Boy from earlier, who I'm guessing is Felix, walk away to retrieve this so called 'other guest'. I jump up from where I was sitting when I see who Felix brings back.

"Henry!" I exclaim.

He looks at me with relief in his eyes when he hears me call his name. We meet in the center of the camp and pull each other in for a hug, happy to know we were both safe. For now, at least.

"Are you okay?" I ask pulling away, "What happened?" I gently cup his face with my hands making sure he wasn't injured anywhere.

I lead Henry over to one of the logs and we sit by the bonfire soaking in the warmth.

"Pan," Henry answers, "he tricked me."

Henry goes on telling me how Pan pretended to be a Lost Boy who "escaped" Pan's forces. Throughout the entire time Henry was talking to me, I would send glares at Pan, letting him know how ticked off I am. Then Henry says something that catches me off guard.

"Wait, what?" I ask

"My heart, it's the reason why I was brought here. Pan says I have the heart of the truest believer."

"What the hell do you need his heart for?" I ask gritting my teeth.

Ignoring my question completely, Pan saunters his way over to us and kneels down to my level.

"Oh, come now, no need for harsh words," Pan says looking directly at me with those smoldering green eyes of his.

I turn my head away to avoid his gaze, but what he does next, takes me by full surprise. He gently takes my chin between his thumb and index finger and tilts my face up, so it meets with his. "Besides, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

Even without looking, I can tell Henry is very confused by the whole situation. Hell, even I'm confused! I mean what does he mean by 'old friend'? I never met the boy until now, how is it that everyone on this bloody damn island knows who I am? Yes, my father has journeyed here centuries ago, but I'm pretty sure he's never mentioned me.

Realizing I've been staring at Pan for the last couple minutes without saying a word, I feel my cheeks heat up, so I break eye contact and look away. I hear him sigh out of frustration before standing tall again. He then looks back at me with a smug look on his face.

"It seems our dear old Cassie, needs a lesson on how to have some fun," he grins widely, "Who's up for a game?"

Pan's question causes a rousing cry of approval from the Lost Boys. With that, he turns back towards Henry and I with that same annoying, impish grin.

I grimace at the idea, thinking that Pan's idea of games and my idea of games are most likely two different things.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't feel like playing one of your games." I say crossing my arms.

"What if I were to throw in a deal?" he adds. Now that catches my full attention, but I choose not to say anything.

Taking my silence as permission to talk more, he goes on explaining more about his offer, "You win, I'll grant you passage off the island." He simply says.

I continue to sit there, contemplating the idea, "And if I lose?"

"I'll let you know when the time comes, but what do you say? Do we have deal?" He asks holding out his hand.

I look back and forth between Pan and Henry, debating if I should take the deal or not. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I stand up and walk over to Pan.

"On two conditions; one: Henry does _not_ get involved. Two: no cheating. Do we have a deal?" I ask, this time holding out my hand.

Pan looks up at me with a smirk on his face as if what I just said to him, made his day.

"We've got ourselves a deal." He smiles as he shakes my hand.

"Like I said, _no cheating_." I remind him.

"No need to worry because it's like I always say: cheaters never win!" Pan says with a devilish grin, his eyes filled with determination. He then moves his mouth close to my ear and whispers, "And believe me, I _want_ to win."

I try not to let him get to me, but holy shit. What the hell did I just get myself into?


	5. Let's Play

_***Neverland, 100 years ago***_

 _A young girl with long light brown hair rushed through the trees, jumping over rocks and trees, knowing that if she so much as tripped, she'd be caught in no time. She swerved under a branch and gripped it to pull herself into the tree._

 _She managed to jump from tree to tree, before spotting an empty clearing on a cliff. She slipped down the tree, falling to one knee as she gasped for breath, feeling her hair to stick to her forehead from sweat._

 _She felt a presence behind her, so when she turns around she lets out a shriek._

" _Gotcha!" a boy, with chestnut hair, exclaims._

 _Catching her breath, the girl then laughs, and brings her knees close to her chest._

" _Yeah, yeah, but you have to admit that I'm getting a lot better at tree top tag." She says smiling at the boy._

" _True, you lasted longer than I thought. You're becoming more of a Lost girl every day."_

" _You're only Lost girl I hope." The girl teased._

" _Of course, no girl can ever replace you," the boy says placing his hand on her cheek as the girl places her hand over his, "I will always love you Cassandra."_

" _And I'll always love you, Peter."_

 _***Present***_

Making my way through the jungle, I leap over tree roots and dodge all branches that come in my way. It's so dark that the only providing light is coming from the moon, but not even that can help me see where I was going. I then hear yelling and whooping coming from the Lost Boys, signaling that they were hot on my heels.

When Pan said his version of tag was different, he wasn't kidding. During the curse, when Henry was a preschooler, he and I would play tag all the time, it was our favorite game. At least it was, until now. Pan's game started out as an innocent game, but then it turned into a hunt. And I was the target. Now, it's not the Lost Boys I was worried about, it's Pan. Thinking back to the deal I made with him earlier, I realize that if I do manage to lose, not only will Henry and I be stuck here, I was afraid to find out what Pan would have in store for me.

Interrupting my thoughts, I heard the joyous cries of Lost Boys again. I turn my head to see the distant shouts of torch light in the night. I looked all around for something, anything to use as a distraction. I found what seemed to be a broken spear, so I picked it up and waited for a Lost Boy to come into view. I throw the weapon in a direction, so the Lost boys would think I was somewhere else. They ran in the opposite directions, so with that I break into another run, as thorns and clawing branches yanked at my clothes, and kept pulling me back. Then I stopped in midstride, in my path was a huge bush of Dreamshade.

"Shit," I mumbled. I remembered the stories my father told me of this deadly plant, so I managed to keep my distance from it.

I go to my left and quickly run into the thickest part of the forest and hid behind a tree catching my breath. I was hoping that this "game" would be over soon, I didn't know how much more I could take. I peeked out from behind the tree to see if there were any Lost Boys around.

"You lasted longer than I thought," a voice behind me laughed. I tensed up at the familiar wicked tone, I turned around to see Pan leaning against one of the trees. He started to walk over to me, so I took a few steps back, until I felt my back hit a tree.

"But out of curiosity," he said placing both of his arms on either side, trapping me in, "even if you did win, how were you planning on leaving Neverland?" he taunts. As I let his words repeat in my head, I realized I never did have an escape route. Even if I did have one, Pan would never let Henry or I go. My father mentioned how no one could leave the island without Pan's permission. So, no matter how the game ended, Pan already knew he was going to win; perhaps even before the game had started.

 _***Flashback***_

 _After their game of tree top tag, Peter and Cassandra thought they had enough fun for one day, so they decided to relax for the rest of it. Sitting at the very top of the pixie dust tree, their hands intertwined, Cassandra laid her head on Peter's shoulder as Peter rested his on top of her head._

" _He's wrong you know, my father that is. I don't see you as the boy he thinks you are," Cassandra says glancing up at Peter, "If anything, my father is being a hypocrite. If anyone should talk about coming from a dark past, it's him."_

" _I don't know what I'd do without you." Peter smiles._

 _Seeing the sun was almost down, and that stars would be coming out soon, Cassandra knew it was time she headed back to the Jolly Roger, before her father noticed she was gone._

" _As much as I love being by your side, I need to head back to the ship before my father does." Cassandra sighs standing up._

" _You do realize you don't have to go back there. You're more than welcome to stay at the camp."_

" _I know, but I'm not quite ready for my father to find out about us. I'm afraid he'll send me back to the Enchanted Forest."_

 _Cassandra looked beyond, staring at her father's ship, thinking the worst if she and Peter were ever to be caught. She didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay with her father, to avenge Milah, but the longer she was in this realm, the more she felt at home here. With Peter. She found Neverland to be her new home._

" _And I can assure you that will never happen. No one leaves this island without_ my _permission" Peter snarls softly._

" _And I believe you, but you don't know my father like I do," taking Peter's hands into hers, she looks up at him reassuringly, "So, for now, can we please keep us a secret still, for me?" Cassandra pouts._

 _Peter squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head, showing that he hated what the girl was doing to him. Opening one eye, he saw she was still giving him that pout. Rolling his head back, Peter lets out a groan, knowing the Lost girl has won again. No matter how hard he tried, he always fell for that pout of hers._

" _Fine," he gives in, "I'll get the others to distract the one-handed pirate and his crew, so you can sneak back on board." Peter agrees as Cassandra stands on her toes and gives him a small peck on the cheek._

" _That's all I ask." Cassandra grins._

 _***End of flashback***_

After many moments of Pan and I staring at each other, I watch his eyes fall to my lips, so with that he started to lean in. I leaned in too, as if to kiss him, and just before his lips could touch mine, I shoved my knee in his stomach. When I see him crouched over in pain, I took that as my que to run, but with luck never being on my side, I tripped over a tree root and fell. When I go to try and stand back up, I felt Pan grab my ankle and pulled me back towards him. He pulled me back onto my feet and slams my body against the tree, as he pinned my arms above my head and brought his mouth to my ear, "You really shouldn't have done that" he warned, his grip tightening around my wrists. I tried not whimper from his grip. I didn't want Pan to see me weak.

All of sudden, I feel his hot breath move from my ear to my neck, his lips leaving a trail of sloppy kisses. The more he did this, the more his kisses got rougher and the harder it was for me to not moan.

"Get off me!" I said biting back the urge to moan, but instead of answering Pan just chuckles into my neck, sending chills down my spine.

With my arms still pinned above me, Pan moves both of my wrists into one hand, while his other hand trails down my body and leaves resting at the hem of my shirt. I can feel him stroking my waist through the fabric of my shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?" I spat, struggling against his hold.

"I think you know exactly what I'm doing" he mumbles. He then bites down on my neck, causing me gasp. Somehow, I finally found the strength to push him off me.

"What the hell was that?" I asked panting. I reached up to the spot Pan left on my neck, but I wince in pain when I touch it.

"That was a just preview of what's to come" he smirks.

Not liking the sound of that, I tried to get away but before I could able to, my back hits someone's chest. I turn around to Felix. He grabbed my arms and holds them from behind, turning me back around to face Pan.

"I get why you sent for Henry, but why me? How am I involved in all of this?" I asked struggling to break free.

Pan walks over and takes my chin between his thumb and index finger, "You'll find out soon enough, I promise" he whispers, "In the meantime, Felix, bring Cassie back to the camp and get her settled. I have some other business I need to take care of." He says and starts to walk away.

"You may have won this time Pan, but I will find a way to get Henry and I off this island." I yelled as Felix and another Lost Boy drag me away.

"We'll see about that." Pan says before disappearing into the forest.


	6. A Pirate and His Daughter

_It was a typical day on the Jolly Roger, Captain Killian Jones; though most knew him as Captain Hook, and his crew sailed through many villages, pillaging and pilfering each one. Now, they were enjoying their evening at a local tavern, drinking and fraternizing with fair maidens. From all the commotion, the pirate did not see the chubby bearded man come barging to his table. Though it could have been from the amount of rum the captain has consumed or from being surrounded by beautiful women, who knows._

" _Captain!" Smee yelled in a concerned matter._

 _Annoyed by the unruly interruption, the one handed pirate slammed his mug onto the table, as he steered his attention away from the maiden sitting in his lap._

" _What is it Smee" Killian growled in annoyance._

" _I'm sorry for bothering Captain, but you need to come out and see for yourself." Smee said worryingly. Killian gave a long suffering sigh knowing if he didn't take care of whatever needed to be done, it would just leave him a bigger mess to clean up later._

 _He staggered out of the tavern as Smee lead him back to the docks. "Now, what was so important that you had to drag me away-" and that was when he heard it, crying. Though this was no ordinary cry, this cry was coming from a baby. If someone had asked if the pirate was sober yet, he was now._

" _I was swabbing the deck just like you asked sir, but then I saw this baby," Smee explained as the two men walked on board of the ship, "It's like it came out of nowhere, as if by magic."_

 _Killian took notice of the small infant wrapped in a white sheet. Attached to the bundle was a note. A note explaining back to when Killian and the mother were two ships passing through the night and that he'd left her with a child. His child. His daughter, someone the woman could not take care of because she herself was not ready to be a mother._

" _What shall we do with it Captain? Should I bring it to the orphanage?"_

 _Killian picked up the child from the basket and attempted to keep her quiet, so others whom were neared by wouldn't hear. He had to admit, he never liked the idea of an orphanage due to his own background, but he also knew that raising a child on the sea wasn't the best choice either. And hell, his own father abandoned him, what chance would he have of being a good father to this little girl?_

 _Then, all his questions were answered the moment the child decided to stop crying. She opened her eyes, wide and surprised. She had his eyes, eyes that were as blue as the sea. And before Killian could decide any further, the baby reached out with her weak little hand and grabbed his thumb as she made a small gurgling noise._

 _He was gone after that._

" _No. No child of mine will be brought to that absurd hell." He growled as walked below deck with Smee following close behind._

" _Captain, you're not saying…"_

" _Aye, no child, as innocent as she, should be left alone." Killian said as the baby began to let out soft cries. "Shhh… shhh… it's alright little one," he whispered soothingly before lifting her gently and pressed a soft kiss to the baby's forehead, "Papa's here now. You'll never be alone again, don't you worry… my little Cassandra." He whispered with a smile on his face as he watched his daughter's tiny fingers wrapped around his hook once more._

After Emma threw the bean into the bay, a huge whirlpool emerged, and so Killian steered the ship straight towards it. "You may want to hold onto something!" Killian yelled. The Charmings and everyone else did as told while the ship fell into the whirlpool.

Feeling the wind and water hit their faces, everyone held onto the ropes while Killian managed to keep the ship on a straight course as they all travelled through the portal.

At one moment, they were travelling through what seemed to be a storm, the next they were in calm waters at night facing an island. An island the pirate never wanted to see again, yet here he was.

"Is that it?" Emma asked.

"Aye, Neverland" Killian said gritting his teeth.

After landing into the realm safely, Killian began to slow down, setting the ship on a different course.

"Why are you slowing down? In case you didn't know, my children's lives are in danger!" Regina stated.

"I am fully aware, my hot headed Queen. The plan is to bring us to the far side of the island, link up with the widest part of the river, and then we sail right through. Taking him by surprise." Killian explained. "And quite frankly, for your information Cassandra is _my_ daughter, not yours," Killian spat, "Indeed you were there for her when I couldn't be, and for that I am grateful."

"But?" Regina asked as she rolled her eyes.

"But you were not the one who raised her from infancy, it was I who did!" he growled.

Noticing the tension between the pirate and the Evil Queen, David and Mary Margaret walked towards them.

"Need a break?" David asked.

Loosening his grip on the wheel, Killian looked at the Prince. "Aye, I do need a few minutes by myself. Being back here is bringing back memories, and they are not the good kind."

With that, Killian walked away from the wheel, leaving the Prince in charge of keeping the ship on a steady sail. Killian made his way below deck and headed towards one of the cabins, specifically one that had a ship on the door. He traced the carving with his hand before he turned the doorknob and walked inside the room.

He wandered about, looking at the many drawings and maps that were pinned up on the walls. The pirate then made his way over to a desk located at the far side of the room and took a seat. He opened the top drawer where it held all types of jewels and jewelry. As Killian searched through it, he smiled at the memories that were behind these treasures. He then opened the drawer below it, and there he found books, one of them being a spell book. He frowned at this. Shoving the book back, he slammed the drawer shut.

"You alright there?"

Startled by the noise, Killian shot out of the chair and pulled out his sword, only to find Emma Swan standing in the doorway.

"Swan," Killian breathed as he withdrew his sword, "What are you doing down here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing" Emma said.

"In case you didn't already know, this is my ship, so I can do whatever it is I please." Killian said stating the obvious.

"Fair enough. I came down here to prepare myself for a fight, for when we find Henry and Cassie" Emma said looking out the port window. "So, is this your room?" Emma asked taking a seat on the bed, "I never would have taken you as a pirate who likes purple," she joked.

"As much as I do enjoy your humor Swan, this is not my cabin. It's Cassandra's" Killian said frowning.

"I can see how much you really love her," Emma said.

"The irony…" Killian mumbled as he sat next to the savior.

"What irony?" Emma asked.

"I spent more time than I care to remember keeping Cassandra away from this place as I fought for my revenge on the crocodile. And yet here we are, sailing right back into its heart searching for my daughter and with the Dark One on my ship as our guest of honor. It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for." Killian said pulling out his flask and takes a swig of rum.

"We're going to find her."

 _Killian growled as he threw open the door leading to his cabin,_

" _Where are you?" he demanded before smirking when he heard giggling coming from underneath his desk. He snuck his way over, and sure enough there was a little brunette haired toddler curled up on the floor._

" _There you are you little pirate!" he teased grabbing the little girl in his arms before she could run off again. She turned herself around, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck._

" _Papa, you found me!" she yelled happily as Killian chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He set her back down on the ground, and she quickly ran to the window staring off at the night sky. Seeing that all the stars were out, the little girl pouted knowing what time it was._

" _Can we play one more game Papa? Please?" she asked with big eyes, but all Killian did was chuckle as he shook his head no. Cassandra went over and held her father's hand as he walked back to her own cabin._

" _Do I really have to go to bed? This is a pirate ship, I should get to stay up as much as I want to!"_

" _That may be, but even little pirates need their sleep." Killian said smiling as Cassandra made her way into bed. He helped change her into her night shirt and tucked her in._

" _Can you sing to me Papa?"_

" _Of course, anything for my little pirate" Killian smiled._

 _He began to sing the lullaby his mother used to sing to him and his brother before she died. After his father abandoned the two boys, Killian never heard of the tune ever again. At least that was, until he knew he had a child of his own. Now, it's become a nightly routine for the pirate and child._

" _ **My love said to me  
My Mother won't mind  
And my Father won't slight you  
For your lack of kind  
Then she stepped away from me  
And she moved through the Fair  
And fondly I watched her  
Move here and move there  
And she went her way homeward  
As the swans in the evening  
Move over the lake…"**_

 _Killian could see Cassandra's eyes getting heavy as she pulled the blanket up closer to her. Knowing she was fast asleep, he brushed some of her hair out of her face and quietly moved off the bed, so he wouldn't wake her. Before he could, Killian heard a small raspy voice from behind._

" _Papa?"_

" _What is it love? I thought you were asleep."_

" _I'm scared. What if someone takes me while you're not here?"_

 _Killian's eyes shot open._

" _I would never let anyone take you away from me. Not while I'm alive. Now go back to sleep, all will be well once morning comes."_

 _Killian kissed the top of her head before tucking her in one last time. He wished her sweet dreams and closed the door as he watched slumber fall upon the little girl that he considered his greatest treasure of all._


	7. Choice is Yours

**A/N: Hey everyone, I'm back! I'm sorry it's been so long but I've been busy with school and work, also I had a case of writer's block. Anyways here is chapter 7; P.S I decided to write this in the third person, it's just very annoying switching back and forth between different POVs. Hope you enjoy! BTW I DO NOT OWN OUAT or its characters, only Cassandra**

"He very much likes his games," Killian commented grimly, sitting down on rock. Mary Margaret and David were searching the perimeter of their camp to see if Pan was lurking around still.

Hours prior, when everyone was still asleep, Pan decided to make a surprise appearance. He wanted to see for himself on who he was up against. Claiming he wanted to help Emma find Henry and Cassie, Pan gave her a folded piece of parchment, telling her it was map. But according to Pan, for Emma to read the map, she had to "stop denying who she really was". So here she was now, sitting cross legged on the ground, staring intensely at this blank sheet of paper.

"What game?" Regina demanded, "There's nothing there."

"If he said there's a map on this parchment, then there is," Killian insisted.

Emma groaned. "So, apparently if I stop denying who I really am, whatever that means, then we'll be able to read this thing. Great."

"How do we know Pan isn't just using this to lure us into a trap?" Regina pointed out.

Killian looked up at the evil queen, "Because he doesn't need to. This whole island's his bloody trap." the pirate snapped, standing.

David and Mary Margaret entered back into the clearing, frustrated. "There's no sign of Pan anywhere."

"Any luck with the map?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Don't hold your breath." Regina commented.

"What's that supposed mean?" Emma asked, irritated.

During the last hour or so, Regina tried to stay patient, but she wasn't having it anymore. "Don't you see what he's doing? Every second we spend talking about this, is another second we're not looking for my son and daughter," Regina argued, "Who knows what kind of _game_ he's put them through."

"You got a better idea?" Emma countered.

Regina let out a deep sigh, calming herself. "Magic," she simply stated. The others shook their heads and rolled their eyes. "If there's a lock on there, I'll find a way around it." She reached out to grab the parchment, but Emma slammed her hand on the paper.

"Pan said it had to be me," Emma muttered.

"I'd listen to Emma, love," Killian reasoned with Regina, "And believe me, I want to find Cassandra just as much as you, but breaking Pan's rules would be unwise."

"Sadly, I agree with the pirate" David remarked.

Killian looked over to the prince with a snarky grin. "I'm winning you over, I can feel it."

"And no offense to you Regina, but your magic doesn't exactly have a gentle touch," Mary Margaret added. Regina gave her a look, showing that she clearly was offended.

"Again, I have to agree. If you use magic on the map, it might blow up in our faces." David threw in.

"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take," Regina barked.

"Well, I'm not," Emma responded, standing up and walking off with the parchment. "If I'm the one who's supposed to figure out this thing, I need to do what Pan said."

Regina rolled her eyes and stalked away. "Fantastic."

Emma stared as Regina walked off and her face flickered with doubt. Mary Margaret noticed this. "Hey, don't give up. If Pan really is playing a game, you can win this."

* * *

Birds and other strange animals called as the night was coming to an end, though darkness remained. Cassie was curled up, asleep, next to a large tree. After being on the island for almost three days, her clothes were becoming dirty and she was covered in bruises and other visible injuries, yet she looked peaceful.

Unfortunately, that moment vanished when Cassie woke up to the sudden shock of freezing water being dumped on her. She sat up coughing, as she looked around, scared and confused as to where she was, but then all recent events from last night came rushing back to her.

From her and Henry being kidnapped, getting trapped in a net by Lost boys, learning Pan needs Henry's heart, and losing to Pan's"little game". With one event after the other, she didn't have the time to process anything, until now. Cassie felt her eyes begin to water, but she tried to hold the tears back. The last thing the young girl needed was to have Pan see her cry. It would only prove to him how weak she was, and that was something she never planned on being.

After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cassie went back to observing her surroundings and noticed she was brought back to Pan's camp site. Gazing up at the dark sky, she couldn't tell if it was day or night, so who knows how long she was out for.

"About time you woke up." A voice called, startling Cassie. She turned her head to see Pan looking down at her.

"Not like I had choice, you had someone throw a _bucket of water_ on me!" Cassie hissed, straining all access water out of her hair and clothes.

"Not exactly. All I said was to wake you up, the rest was up to them" Pan grinned.

Ignoring that small detail, Cassie looked at Pan from head to toe and noticed he wasn't in his usual dark green clothing and boots. Instead, he was wearing a pair of jeans, plaid shirt and a winter coat. Then it dawned on her, Pan wasn't just in any ordinary clothing. They were Henry's.

"Wait, why are you wearing Henry's clothes?" Cassie asked wearily.

"Don't worry. It's just part of the game."

"I find out you harmed Henry in any way, I swear to god" Cassie threatened, her hands clenching into fists.

"You'll what? Scorch me with a fireball, rip out my heart?" he taunted.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't do any magic as long as this cuff is on me" Cassie scoffed.

As Pan watched Cassie's failed attempt of removing the cuff, he glanced down at her wrist to see her skin becoming red and irritated. Cassie's attention was brought back when Pan sat next to her and grabbed her arm. "You know," he started, cocking his head, "I am the onewho made this cuff. So, it's obvious that _I_ can take it off," he offered.

"You would take this cuff off me?" Cassie asked, disbelievingly. When Pan nodded, it only made Cassie narrow her eyes in suspicion. "Magic always comes with price, and judging the time I've been here with you, that taking this off," she held up the arm that wore the cuff, "will hold no exception."

"Clever girl," Pan commented, his green eyes gleaming. Cassie fought the urge to shudder, especially when he held a lock of her hair and pushed it back behind her ear. With Pan being so close to her, she could feel his breath and body heat on her skin. "But what I want is simple. I take the cuff off you in exchange for a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Cassie knew that whatever it was, it would end up not being good for her.

"That's for another day, but that's the deal. Your magic for a favor which you will owe me, and I can call upon whenever I want."

With Pan being so close to her, Cassie began to feel uncomfortable, so she stood up, distancing herself from him. Gathering up her courage again, she turned back around, folding her arms. "What makes you so sure that I'll even be here when you do decide to cash in your favor?"

"Sooner or later, you'll realize how Neverland will forever be your home."

 _Home._ There was that word again. Ever since Cassie was small, she's lived in so many places. From the Jolly Roger, to the Enchanted Forest, and then finally to Storybrooke. Granted, in each setting Cassie has lived in, she was with people who made her happy and she will always love them, but during her time in the Enchanted Forest and the curse, she felt alone. Even when she was with her father during their travels. Not once has she ever felt at home anywhere.

"I will _never_ think of this place as home." Cassie stated, ignoring the brief hurt on Pan's face when he heard her say those words, "With that being said, I would like to have my magic back," she said slowly, contemplating Pan's words, "Fine. I'll take your dumb deal."

"Very well then." Having got what he wanted, Pan made his way over to Cassie, taking her hand in his. He ripped the cuff off her with such ease, that it left Cassie dumbfounded.

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" His mood changing instantly, Pan laughed heartily. He leaned towards Cassie again, the girl realizing he must find it enjoying by invading her personal space.

"That all depends on you, Cassandra" Pan whispered, his lips only an inch from Cassie's ear, his breath leaving a tickle against her skin. "Now, how would you feel about a little family reunion?"

* * *

Emma and the others walked through the jungle following a glowing piece of parchment as their guide. After an endless night of listening to Emma admitting that her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, and her being the Savior; nothing ever happened. Not once did a map ever appear on that parchment. Therefore, Regina made the decision among herself to cast a locator spell on the parchment, which would lead them to Henry and Cassie.

After what seemed like hours, they ended at the top of a hill. From there, they could see a large clearing. There were blankets, tents, weapons and many other objects scattered around. It was obvious that this was the Lost Boys' camping grounds, yet there was no sign of any Lost Boys, or Pan. The group made their way down the hill to begin their search for Henry and Cassie.

"No one's here. Maybe your spell was wrong Regina," Mary-Margaret stated.

"Yes. Blame me…again." Regina replied, sarcastically.

As David took the lead, Emma looked up and saw a boy with brown hair standing at the top of the hill.

"Guys hold on. Is that…"

Emma walked past David, running over to the boy. His back was turned to them, but judging from the clothes the child was wearing, he wasn't from Neverland. "Henry!" Emma called out, charging forward.

Everyone was filled with relief and excitement, thinking they found Henry, but when the boy turned around, that happy feeling was gone, instead being replaced with shock and anger.

"Hi Emma," the boy replied with a smirk.

 _Peter Pan_. When Emma saw he was wearing Henry's clothes, she became overwhelmed of feeling sick, finding out her son wasn't here. That they'd been tricked.

"Where the hell is Henry?" Emma demanded.

Pan stared at the adults below him as he walked along the edge of the hill, "You broke the rules. That's not fair," Pan observed, ignoring her question. "Bad form. I expected more from _you_ Captain." He mocked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Aye, and you'll get it. Just give us the boy _and_ my daughter" Killian replied.

"Sorry, can't. Don't you know? Cheaters never win." He answered, cocking his head.

At his words, Lost Boys came running out into the clearing, whooping and shouting. They had the adults surrounded as each boy held torches and had their weapons aimed at them. Clearly being outnumbered, David raised his sword, as did Emma and Killian. Mary-Margaret loaded her bow with one of her arrows, prepared to shoot, while Regina clenched her fists, ready to use her magic.

"Watch out for their arrows," Killian warned, "They're laced with Dreamshade."

A Lost Boy made the first fire with his arrow, and with that the battle began. The group split up to defend themselves against the boys. David spun his sword around and deflected arrows being aimed at him. From the corner of his eye, David saw an arrow aimed at his wife, so he moved quickly.

"Mary-Margaret!" he shouted, pushing her out of shots range. The arrow grazed his side, leaving bad tear in his jacket.

"David!" Mary-Margaret gasped.

David felt where the arrow hit him and smiled briefly at his wife. "I'm okay," he reassured her, then another Lost Boy aimed at her, "Behind you!"

Mary-Margaret spun around quickly and fired an arrow in the blink of an eye. It snatched onto the boy's cloak, pinning him to the tree behind him.

On the other side of the clearing, Killian was fighting off against Felix, the leader of the Lost Boys and Pan's second in command. "It's been a while Captain" Felix commented with a sneer, his scar twisting on his face.

"Not long enough," Killian hissed. Felix pulled his club free out of Killian's hook and charged. The pirate was ready for him. Killian deflected each blow with his sword easily, having combat and sword-fighting on his side. He also managed to use his hook to avoid any high power blows that came his way.

"Won't be long until Cassie is back home, ruling by his side once again." Felix reminded Killian. The pirate growled, his eyes flashed with anger. He lets go of the boy and their fight continued.

Emma punched and kicked her way through each boy that tried to attack her. Emma stormed her way up the hill, towards Pan, but someone tackled her. The two fell hard onto the ground, fighting until Emma landed on top. Emma withdrew her sword and held it up against the person's throat. Her eye's full of range.

"Where's Henry and Cassie? Where are they?!" Emma yelled.

Her attacker looked up at her. He was just a boy, no older than fourteen. When Emma took a glance at the boy's eyes, she saw the emotion they held. Her anger faded, and she let go of the boy, her mind racing with numerous thoughts and emotions.

Suddenly a whistle was heard, coming from Pan himself. All the boys stopped fighting and fled back to their leader. Pan gazed at Emma and Killian, he'd seen the exchange between them and the two Lost Boys, he was smirking.

Before Pan can take his leave, a Lost Boy appeared by his side and whispered something into his ear.

"Before I leave, I have someone here who wanted to say hello" Pan said with a mischievous grin.

Assuming this person was an ally of Pan's, Emma and the others prepared themselves for another attack. Not a moment later, Felix came back out, but this time with an unconscious girl in his arms. No one was sure who this girl was, but when her head tilted backwards and her hair was out of her face, Killian's eyes widen. It was Cassandra. At first glance, he didn't recognize her due to her appearance. Cassie was drenched from head to toe, along with being covered in dirt, scratches and bruises.

"Cassandra" Killian choked. He was appalled; what the bloody hell did that demon boy do to his little girl? Before any words could leave his mouth, Regina had beat him to it.

"What the hell did you do to my daughter?" Regina sneered.

"She's fine, just taking a little cat nap," Pan chuckled. Moving his head slightly, Pan signaled Felix to bring Cassie back to camp before she woke.

"No, Cassie!" Killian yelled. He was about to fight his way through to reach Cassie, but David held him back.

"Remember what I told you," Pan called out, "That map will show you where Henry is… only when you stop denying who you really are."

Emma stood and glared at the evil boy.

"I'll make sure to send them your regards." Pan drawled, racing out of the clearing, the Lost Boys following in his steps. Their whooping and cheering faded as they disappeared further into the jungle. Regina, David, and Mary-Margaret sighed in frustration. Emma, on the other hand stared off in the direction Pan had gone, feeling overwhelmed with hopelessness. As for Killian, he spent his entire life making sure his daughter was kept away from the hands of that demon. Yet, there she was, in his possession. If she ever found out the truth of what happened all those years ago, Killian might just lose her for good this time. Meaning, Pan just might win.


	8. Brother and Sister

_**Neverland – Present**_

This time around, Cassie didn't wake up from water being thrown on her. Instead, she woke up to an intense feeling that someone was watching her. Opening her eyes slowly, she noticed Felix stood off to the side, his back up against a tree while he sharpened, what looked to be another one of his weapons. Sensing he'd been spotted, he stopped what was he doing and gave Cassie a crooked smile.

"Morning princess, have a good night's sleep?"

Resentfully, she dragged herself into a sitting position, though regretted it soon after. Feeling slightly dizzy, she squeezed her eyes shut again to stop her vision from spinning. Felix took notice of this.

"That's to be expected from the poppy flower."

Now that he mentioned it, the last thing she remembered was Pan blowing some sort of red powder in her face.

"You drugged me?"

The Lost Boy shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. Changing the subject, Felix pointed down to Cassie's arm, "I see Pan removed the cuff."

Confused, she gazed down her arm where the leather band laid on her wrist, and sure enough it was gone. Since the cuff was no longer attached to her, she could have used her magic to get away, but she refused. She never enjoyed using magic in the first place; when she did, it was only to make Regina proud of her. But since she wasn't here, Cassie felt she had no use for it. "Pan also instructed me to give you these" Felix said handing Cassie a pile of dark colored fabrics.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "What is it?"

"Clothes," he simply stated, tossing the fabric to her, "he figured you'd want a fresh pair instead of those old dirty ones you've had on for days now."

At that statement, Cassie looked down at her appearance and grimaced. Not only did she feel damp from the bucket of water being thrown on her before, but she was also covered from head to toe in scratches, bruises and dirt. If anything, she was in dire need of a shower. However, she inspected the pile of clothing, which consisted of a pair of dark grey leggings and a dark forest green shirt. The sleeves looked to be mid-length with fraying at the edges. The hem of the shirt was all over the place, in some areas it ran short, in others longer.

Overall, they weren't bad looking, but as much as she wanted a new change of clothes, Cassie already owed Pan one favor. So, she felt if she accepted the clothes, then she would have to owe him another. Not wanting to do that, she tossed the items aside.

"Thanks, but no, me wearing dirty old clothes is the least of my worries" Then a thought came across Cassie's mind. Before she fell unconscious, for the _third_ time, she remembered the conversation she had with Pan and the words 'family reunion'.

"But what you can do is bring me to Henry. It's been days since I've seen him," She claimed.

Felix stared at her as he fiddled with the dagger he was sharpening earlier, "Okay."

"Okay, what?"

"If you want to see the boy, then I'll take you to him."

"Really? Just like that?" she asked with a dumbfounded look.

In response, Felix turned around and began walking in the other direction, but stopped briefly to look back at Cassie, "Are you coming, or did you want to stay?"

Without a second thought, Cassie scrambled to her feet and followed the Lost boy into the forest trees.

 _ **Storybrooke – Past**_

 _It was the students' lunch hour at school, and while all the other kids were playing or eating with their friends, Henry sat alone at a picnic table, looking sad as he held his storybook close to him. Cassie came out of the school building with her lunch when she saw her brother sitting all alone and frowned._

" _Henry…what's wrong?" she asked, sitting beside him._

" _It's nothing" he muttered._

" _You sure about that? It looks to be the opposite of nothing."_

 _Henry clutched the storybook tighter to his chest if it was even possible and avoided making eye contact with Cassie. Cassie looked at her brother worried, so peering over his shoulder, she saw it was the fairytale book his teacher Ms. Blanchard had given him a couple weeks ago._

" _You're really enjoying that book Ms. Blanchard gave you, huh?"_

" _It's more than just a book." He mumbled, causing Cassie to smile._

" _And why's that?" she chuckled lightly._

" _You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Everyone else thinks I'm a baby for believing in fairytales," he sniffed._

 _Cassie gazed at her little brother in disbelief. So that's why he was acting the way he was. Why were kids so mean to each other? Sure, Henry might be a little old for fairytales, but if it's what he liked, then so be it. People should mind their own business._

" _Don't listen to a single word they say Henry, you are not a baby. And of course, I'll believe you. You know you can tell me anything," Cassie consoled._

" _You promise?"_

" _Promise." she reassured._

 _Placing the storybook onto the table, Henry took a deep breath before turning his body to face Cassie. "This book isn't your regular storybook. It tells the story of Snow White, Prince Charming and every other fairytale character you can name," Henry explained as Cassie tried to listened, "Our town, Storybrooke, shouldn't even exist. It's only here because of the Evil Queen's curse. Every person we think we know, is a cursed fairytale character from this book. Including you."_

 _ **Neverland – Present**_

When Felix and Cassie returned to the campsite, she spotted Henry sleeping underneath a tall tree. He was using his coat as a pillow, though she highly doubt he found any comfort in it.

Kneeling next to him, she ran her fingers through his hair. The last thing Cassie wanted was to disturb him because who knew when the last time Henry got a good night's rest. Then again, she needed to make sure he was okay.

"Henry," she said softly, feeling him relax at her voice.

She watched his eyes flutter open as she felt her body relax. All she could think was how Henry was okay, and that Pan still hadn't hurt him. Henry on the other hand, was looking at his sister in shock. While he had no visible marks or bruises, Cassie looked like she had been in a fight. Maybe more.

"Cassie, what happened?" Henry cried, hugging his sister. The two siblings held each other tightly, afraid if they let go, one of them would be snatched away. There was no doubt in Pan's mind that he would try and tear them apart again. He would most likely use their separation as leverage.

"I'm okay, really. A little bruising won't stop me. I've been through worse, remember?" Cassie smiled tightly.

Their reunion was short lived though, when they heard footsteps crunching into the ground nearby.

"Good, you're both here. Catch," Pan said, tossing an apple at Henry.

The apple had hit Henry in the elbow, before it fell in front him; causing Henry to look at the piece of fruit in disgust, "I don't like apples."

"Who doesn't like apples?" Pan asked.

"It's a family thing," Henry replied.

"Well, don't worry. It's not for eating," Pan confirmed, walking closer to Henry and Cassie, "It's for a kind of game. A really fun game," Pan crouched in front of them, pointing a cross bow at them, "I call it target practice," He smirked.

"There is no way in bloody hell you are using him as target practice!" Cassie sneered, pushing the bow away from Henry.

"Who ever said I was going to use Henry?" Pan chuckled. Suddenly, Cassie was jerked to her feet by two Lost Boys as one of them tied her arms behind her back. As she struggled to break free, she watched another Lost Boy bring out a small vile which contained some sort of liquid.

Becoming nervous himself, Henry gathered up the courage to see what Pan was doing, "What's that?" Henry asked.

"Dreamshade, it's a nasty poison." Pan replied, "We've got a story here about a man who once shot an apple off his son's head with an arrow," he explained, setting up the crossbow, "Let's see if it's possible," he smirked, grabbing the apple from before and tossed it to Felix.

Both Henry's and Cassie's eyes widen when Felix placed the apple on top of Cassie's head.

"But if you're shooting the apple, what's the poison for?" Henry stuttered, out of fear.

"Motivation not to miss," Pan clarified, he then handed Henry the crossbow, "Here."

If Henry wasn't terrified before, he was now, "But I don't want to shoot. I'll hit Cassie!" Henry claimed, trying to give the weapon back to Pan.

"You won't hit her, just trust yourself," Pan replied, ignoring Henry's protests, "It's exhilarating." Pan and the other Lost Boys began chanting. _Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot_ repeatedly. Cassie watched Henry's hands begin to shake as he raised the bow. She could've used her magic to get herself and Henry out of this situation, but she didn't want to risk hurting Henry in case he got in the crossfire. So as much as she didn't want to be used as a target, she needed to have faith in Henry.

Pan stared at the girl in front of him, frozen with fear of being shot by an arrow laced with Dreamshade. Why wasn't she fighting back? He removed the cuff on her, so she had access to her magic again. Where was the Cassie, he knew all those centuries ago? She was different now, but then he realized it was the boy. She was too protective of him; obviously she loved him like a brother, but no matter. She'll soon remember being the Lost Girl she was before, it just required… some effort.

Henry steadied the bow and just when he was about to aim for the apple, Henry changed targets last second and shot the arrow at Pan. Clearly impressed, Pan caught the arrow just before it would have pierced him in the chest.

"Told you it'd be fun," Pan said tossing the arrow, and made his way toward Henry. _Fun?_ Cassie asked herself in disbelief, with that she broke away from the Lost Boys who were holding her back, snapping the ropes with magic and aimed a fire ball at Pan. It hit the tree instead, missing Pan by an inch.

"That was just a warning," Cassie sneered, "Try anything like that again with Henry, and I guarantee you, that tree won't be the one getting burned next time."

"We'll see about that" his grin wavered, and Cassie noticed a spark in his dark green eyes. Pan then turned his attention back to Henry, "Come on, I have something to show you," he said, disappearing into the jungle with Henry by his side.

 _ **Storybrooke – Past**_

 _Cassie was bringing over her customer's food to their table when she heard the chimes near the front door, signaling someone entered Granny's. Turning her head, she saw Ruby greet Henry as he seated himself at an empty booth._

 _She watched him pull out the large fairytale book out of his backpack and slowly began to flip through it. Only this time, he did it with a sad expression. Feeling guilty, Cassie walked behind the counter and started preparing two fresh cups of hot chocolate with cinnamon. Earlier at school that day, Henry told her about how this whole town and everyone in it, were all fairytale characters. He went on explaining each person and who they were in their past lives. Including their mother, who apparently was the one who enacted the curse because she was the Evil Queen. To say she was speechless, would be an understatement._

 _By the time Henry finished and before she was able to collect her thoughts and talk to Henry, the bell rang. Henry took Cassie's silence as her not believing him, so he grabbed his things and ran off to his next class, upset._

 _So here she was now, bringing two cups of hot chocolate to her brother, in hopes he'll accept her apology._

" _Two cups of hot chocolate with cinnamon for our favorite customer." Cassie said, placing the hot mugs in front of Henry._

 _Henry looked up at her briefly but then went back to reading. Not uttering a single word, "Really? The silent treatment?"_

 _She sighed deeply, knowing she wasn't going to get a single word from him. So, she slid into the seat across from him, "Henry, I'm sorry about earlier. I get it, we're both adopted, so it's easier to imagine ourselves living in a fairytale versus reality."_

 _Still going without talking, Henry continued to stare at the pages in front of him while playing with the corners. Cassie felt terrible. She'd never seen him so distraught. While all the other kids at school were making fun of him, she told him he could tell her anything and that she would believe him no matter. Yet she did the exact opposite, even though she didn't mean to. So, Cassie decided the only way to cheer her brother up was to feed into his cursed fairytale characters fantasy. Let's just hope for both of their sakes that their mother doesn't find out about any of this._

 _After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke, "You know," she said climbing out of the seat and moving next to Henry, "for some time now, I've been wondering on who my birth parents are."_

" _You and every other adopted kid," he grumbled, making Cassie dig a little deeper._

" _Yes, but if what you're telling me is true, and that we really are cursed," she paused, seeing Henry nod his head in confirmation, "Then that book of yours has all the information I need."_

" _Really?" he asked, hesitantly._

" _Of course, you just didn't give me any time to respond earlier. You ran off before I could say anything," she said, explaining the partial truth._

 _Henry grinned widely, "I knew you'd believe me!"_

" _Mmm hmm. So tell me, who was I in my past life, and can that book of yours really tell me who my dad is?"_

" _Wait, give me a second! I know this!" he claimed, zipping through many pages. "I got it! You were known as Cassandra Jones, the daughter of Captain Killian Jones a.k.a. Captain Hook."_

 _Staring at the page Henry stopped at, Cassie observed the picture of a man dressed in leather and wearing a lot of eyeliner. But what stood out was the metal hook at the bottom of his arm where a hand should have been. "So, what you're saying is that I was pirate before?"_

" _Cool right? You used to live on a pirate ship!"_

 _In all honesty, she still didn't believe him, he was talking nonsense after all. But he's her little brother, and the way his eyes lit up at the mention of these fairytale characters, she didn't want to argue with him. Besides, she figured he'll grow out of it soon enough._

" _Do me a favor though," Cassie interrupted, "Just because I believe in what you're saying, that doesn't give you the idea you can go off doing anything crazy, okay?"_

" _Got it, nothing crazy" He promised, but unbeknownst to Cassie, he had plan to break the Evil Queen's curse. He just needed to set it in motion._


	9. Nasty Habits

_**Enchanted Forest – Past**_

 _Cassandra was up in the ship's crow's nest, drawing with her ink and quill as she waited for her father's return from the market. He explained to her he had some business to take care of. She wanted to go with, but he informed her to stay on board and that he'd be back in no time._

 _Don't get her wrong, she loved her life on the Jolly Roger because growing up, every day was a new adventure for her. She should feel lucky a child her age was able to travel and see the world. And she does, although she still felt trapped. Every new place they visited, her father never allowed her to leave the ship unless she was accompanied by one of the crew members, Smee or her father himself._

 _She loved her father, and she knew he meant well, but being the only girl on a ship full of pirates, can become… well, overbearing at times. She wanted to make friends her own age, attend village dances, and so much more; she was thirteen after all. But who would want to be friends with girl whose father was known to be a ruthless pirate?_

 _Broken out of her thoughts, she heard her father call up to her, "Come down lass, I have something for you."_

" _Coming!" she yelled back. After she rolled up her drawings and packed the rest of her items into her satchel, she was about to climb down the rope latter, but then decided not to._

 _Instead she steadied herself on the edge of the crow's nest and reached for one of the ropes that hung close and swung down, landing onto the main deck. Only to receive a stern look from her father. "What?" she asked, innocently._

" _How many times must I tell you to not come down that way?"_

" _Well, what do you expect from a girl whose lived on a ship full of pirates all her life?" she argued, respectfully._

" _Very well; I presume I can let it pass as what today is…" he said, biting back a grin._

" _You said you wanted to show me something? What is it?"_

" _I can't show you unless you close your eyes," He teased._

" _Dad…" Cassandra whined._

" _Go on, close 'em," he insisted, to which she complied. Making sure her eyes were indeed closed, he pulled a small box out from behind him and slowly opened it. "Alright, you can open your eyes now lass."_

 _Doing as told, she opened her eyes, and gasped at the beautiful piece of jewelry that was presented to her. It was a necklace with a dark indigo gemstone, reminding her of the night sky. It was wrapped in an intricate pattern of copper wiring and at the top where it hung by the chain was a skull._

" _It's beautiful," she awed. She gently took it out of the box, afraid she was going to break it, "I love it," she claimed, hugging her father_

" _Happy birthday sweetheart," he smiled, hugging her back._

" _Thank you, daddy."_

 _ **Neverland – Present**_

Killian cut his way through the over grown branches with the crook of his hook, stepping around them with an equal amount of caution and grace. He continued moving forward, but with a frown. He had so many memories of this island, that he found it difficult to think of anything else. Originally, he was with David collecting more vines because the Prince's wife came up with the idea of creating a net to trap a Lost Boy. As if that would do any good.

But what bothered him the most was what David said to him moments ago. The Prince and pirate were arguing about parenting skills and David, once again, brought up how Killian was nothing but a pirate and that he knew nothing about helping family. Oh, how the dear old Prince was wrong. If only he knew what Killian had done in the past to _protect_ his family, but David couldn't know. No one could.

Knowing David was injured, Killian didn't want to make things worse, so he took off in the other direction before doing something he'd regret later. After walking for some time now, he stopped and sat himself on nearby boulder. Needing a break from his thoughts, he broke out his flask and took a few swigs of rum.

"Planning on taking her away from me again, Captain?" a voice said, coming from the shadows.

Recognizing that voice, Killian unsheathed his sword as he watched Pan make his way out of the jungle. After seeing how banged up Cassie looked a few days ago, Killian lost his temper.

"You!" Instantly, Killian lunged at Pan and shoved him against, holding his hook to his throat, "Where. Is. She?" Killian sneered.

"Cassie's fine Killian. Safe. She's actually with Henry right now."

"She's with the lad? So, they're both unharmed…" Killian muttered.

"Yes, Henry is just fine. So, if you want to go and tell everyone by all means," Pan said, "But enough about him. Do you want know what I found recently?"

"No, but why do I feel like your going tell me anyway?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Let go and I'll show you."

Curious, but still suspicious, Killian stepped back and lowered his sword. Pan reached inside one of his pockets and pulled out a necklace. Killian's eyes widen at the piece of jewelry that dangled in his face.

"I think she would be glad to have this back. Don't you think so Captain?" he mocked, swinging the pendant back and forth.

"Where the bloody hell did you get that?" Killian growled.

"Oh, this? Why it got left behind on the day she was taken from me!" he hissed, but realized he was going off track, "No matter. I figured, when she gets this back, she's going to have so many questions. And who am I to deny the answers she seeks?"

"I will get my daughter back. And I'll make sure she's even further away from you, no matter what it takes," Killian threatened.

"I like to see you try," Pan taunted, "Because I for one, will make sure it won't happen again," he warned, his eyes gleaming, "Enjoy your rum." And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

 _ **Enchanted Forest - Past**_

 _Cassandra stood over the starboard rail with her father's telescope, looking out into the distance. At first it was for star gazing, but then out of nowhere she started hearing this beautiful music. It sounded like some sort of flute. She didn't know where it was coming from; eventually her eyes landed on a glow that seemed to be coming from beyond the village. Cassandra couldn't hear anything but the hypnotic music, however she was able to make out a group of children dancing around a fire. She was so lost in the harmonic sound, she wasn't aware of her father's presence._

" _Ah, so that is where my telescope went. Navigating our next route, my little pirate?" he asked, smiling._

 _Cassandra slightly jumped from her father's voice but calmed quickly. She turned her body and smiled at her father._

" _Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, "I was using it to look up at the star, but then I heard this amazing flute music and I wanted to try and see where it was coming from."_

 _Her father looked at her strangely, "Music?"_

 _Cassandra nodded, "Coming from there I think," she pointed northeast, past the village and into the forest, "Don't you hear it?"_

" _All I can hear darling, are the waves."_

" _Can I at least go see what it is? It'll only take a short while," Cassandra pleaded._

" _Let's get you to bed, I think you've had enough birthday excitement. Come on," he said, leading her below deck._

" _But dad—"_

" _No more of this talk Cassandra. Bed, now," he said sternly._

 _Doing what she was told, she walked below deck to her cabin. Walking into her room, she got under the bed covers. She didn't even bother changing out of her day clothes as she didn't plan on going to sleep anytime soon. Her father entered, walking towards her to say goodnight._

" _Hope you had good birthday. I love you Cassandra," he whispered, kissing her forehead._

" _Love you too," she mumbled. With that, her father walked out wishing her a goodnight and closed the door behind him._

 _After he left, Cassandra got out from under the bed covers and walked to the opposite side of her room, towards the port window. Opening it, she started hearing that same music again. She couldn't help but be drawn to it._

 _ **Neverland – Present**_

Cassie sat off to the side, watching the Lost Boys dance and cheer around the fire. She noticed Henry on the opposite chatting with Pan. She wanted to be with Henry, be by his side, but she felt the need to be alone for a while. No one else may not have noticed, but earlier when she threw that fire ball at Pan, the look on Henry's face was a look she never wanted to see. _Fear._ Cassie hadn't seen fear like that since she lived back in the Enchanted Forest with Regina. She remembered all the times she walked through the market, and how every villager made sure to stay clear of her, afraid of upsetting the Queen.

It was the whole reason why she vowed herself to never use magic unless indeed necessary. It was magic that destroyed her family in the first place. Before the curse, only very few people knew she had magic; her father, Regina, and Rumpelstiltskin. Cassie never wanted to admit it to herself, but she always thought her magic was the reason behind her father abandoning her. Because it was a constant reminder to him of how he lost Milah.

Sometimes, it made Cassie wonder if her father loved Milah more than he loved her. She knew it was silly of her to think that, but no one has come for her or Henry. Even if their family wanted to, they couldn't. Her father took the last bean. She hated feeling like this. The feeling of being alone, unloved, and _lost._

Suddenly, a noise hit her ear. Soft at first, but gradually it grew. A pleasant tune filled her ears, it sounded like it was coming from a flute. Cassie had the urge to dance along with the music but fought against it.

Pan glanced over to Cassie. He knew she could hear it, judging by her expression. Originally, he was hoping Henry would hear the music, but he didn't hear anything. Not yet anyways. But seeing Cassie's reaction, he still found it as an accomplishment. Little by little, Cassie was becoming the Lost Girl he knew all those years ago. Leaving Henry to his thoughts, Pan made his way over to Cassie and stood from behind.

"You heard it," Pan whispered, placing his hands onto her shoulders, "Didn't you love?" Pan felt Cassie shudder. He smirked to himself.

"What, the music?" Cassie questioned, trying to ignore his touch, "Kind of hard not to."

Pan removed his hands from Cassie and moved to sit on a log that was in front of her, "Then why aren't you joining the others?" he asked, gesturing behind him.

Cassie turned her head away, not wanting to meet his gaze, "Don't feel like it, I guess?" she shrugged, unsure of the reason herself.

Nodding his head, Pan noticed the untouched basket of fruit that sat near her feet.

"I see you haven't touched your food."

"You really expect me to eat an apple? Considering my family's history?" she scoffed.

Pan chuckled, "Regardless, you need to eat. Keep up your strength and everything."

Cassie stared at him and raised her eyebrows, "Since when do you care about my health?" she challenged.

"I've always cared, Cassie" Pan replied.

"You sure have got a funny way of showing it," she scoffed, crossing her arms.

Pan gently grabbed one of her hands and held it in his, "I've never planned on causing you any harm, Cassie" He said softly, "There's a reason why I had you brought here."

"And that reason is?"

Before Pan could answer, he spotted Felix re-entering the campsite not looking happy.

"You'll find out soon enough. I promise." He then left a gentle kiss on her hand before going to see Felix, leaving Cassie surprised and even more confused than she was earlier.

He was so close, he saw the look in Cassie's eyes. He was just beginning to get through to her. Pan shoved his way through the group of Lost Boys, annoyed at Felix's interruption.

"What? I know that look, what happened?" he hissed.

"Baelfire, I'm afraid he got away."

"Then why didn't you get him back?" Pan gritted his teeth.

"I tried but then I found two of our sentries knocked out… by a sleeping spell," Felix clarified.

Pan's eyes darken, "The Dark One," he paused, "So, father and son have been reunited," he smirked.

"They'll be looking for them," Felix said, his eyes looking at Henry and Cassie, "We should move them to somewhere safe," he suggested.

"Now, now Felix. Where's your sense of adventure?" Pan asked, grinning, "We can't end a party, when the real fun is about to begin." he said, knowing very well that everything was falling into place.

 _ **Enchanted Forest – Past**_

 _Killian was in his own quarters, navigating their next route, when Mr. Smee came barging in, unannounced._

" _Captain!" Smee said, out of breath._

" _What is it Smee?" Killian asked, not bothering to look up from the maps in front of him._

" _Is Cassandra still on board?"_

" _Of course, she is," he answered, rolling his eyes at the ridiculous question, "I just brought her to her cabin for the night, not too long ago. May I ask why?"_

" _It's just that, well I thought you should know, umm…" Smee stuttered._

" _Spit it out Mr. Smee," Killian said, becoming annoyed._

" _When I've gone to town, doing what you've asked me to do, I've been hearing the townsfolk here, whispering how many of their children have gone missing. Lured away from their homes by…music." Smee explained._

 _Stopping what he was doing, Killian looked up with uncertainty on his face, "Music?" he muttered._

" _They're calling him, the_ Piper _. It seems only children could hear it. Apparently, many have tried telling their parents, but no one believed them," Smee explained._

 _As Smee told him of this tale, Killian recalled back to earlier in the evening when he found Cassandra on deck. He remembered her telling him about hearing some sort of flute music. Connecting the two, his eyes widen as he took off running to his daughter's quarters. Not even bothering to knock, he barged through the door, only to find the port window wide open and Cassandra was nowhere in sight._

" _I want every bloody man on this ship out there searching for my daughter!" Killian commanded._

" _Yes sir! I'll go gather the crew," Smee said, running out._

" _No one rests until she is found and back on this ship!"_

* * *

 _Cassandra was wandering around the forest, in search of where that harmonic music was coming from. Just as she was about to give up and turn back towards the Jolly Roger, she caught a glimpse of a bright glow, coming from deep inside the forest. Each step she took, she could hear the flute playing become louder. Once she reached the far end, she stopped when she found a large group of children dancing and playing around a bonfire. They all looked to be around her age, maybe older, but it was difficult to judge because of the masks each one wore. Though judging by their yelling and whooping, they all sounded like boys._

 _Flames crackled in the center of the forest, sending smoke up towards the clear night sky. The cries and shouts of the boys rose along with it. The faint sound of a pipe played in the background, almost nonexistent from the noise of the boys. Laughter and empty joyfulness echoed around them._

 _In the center of it all, she was able to see a hooded figure playing a pipe. She desperately wanted to join but was afraid to. So, Cassandra kept herself hidden behind one of the large trees. In hopes of no one would see her._

 _Cassandra stared longingly at the scene in front of her. She envied them. She got so lost in watching everyone dancing, that she didn't realize the hooded figure was behind her._

" _And who might you be?" the person asked._

 _Cassandra jumped, causing her to turn around. When she did, the person had already removed their hood; underneath revealed to be a boy. He looked to be a few years older than she was, he had brown hair and dark green eyes. He wore a cloak with multicolored patches. She found him to be quite handsome._

" _I-I'm sorry. It's just that I heard this music and I wanted to see where it was coming from." Cassandra explained._

 _The boy looked at her questioningly._

" _You heard me playing?" he asked, Cassandra simply nodded, "Interesting," he mumbled._

 _The boy looked at her from head to toe, taking in her appearance. She didn't look like the other young females he saw around here. Instead of the typical peasant attire for a girl her age, she wore an off white colored blouse along with a brown vest with red laces, black bottoms and a pair of leather boots. Her chestnut hair cascaded past her shoulders in loose waves, and she had these bright blue eyes. But what stuck out the most, was this sense of power she held. The boy didn't know if it was the girl's power that was drawing him, but he felt some sort of attraction towards her.  
_

" _What's your name?"_

" _Cassandra," she replied._

" _Well, Cassandra, would you like to join in on the fun?" he asked, holding out his hand._

" _Really?"_

" _Of course, everyone is welcomed," he stated._

" _It is my birthday…so why not" she grinned_

" _Is it now? Just all the more reason to join." Cassandra smiled as the boy lead her to the others._

" _Wait," she said, stopping the both of them, "I never got your name."_

 _The boy grinned, "Just call me Peter."_


	10. Baelfire

_**Neverland – Past**_

 _Cassandra came from below deck as she was in dire need of some fresh air. Soaking in her surroundings, she spotted an island completely covered in foliage off in the distance. It'd been days since she and her father's crew arrived in this land. Apparently, her father had journeyed to this realm in his past, long before she was ever born or he himself turned into a pirate. Neverland, he called it. A place where no man (or woman) shall ever age because in this world, time stood still._

 _But she didn't care about all that. All Cassandra cared was if her father would finally allow her to leave the ship and give her the chance to explore. However, she knew that would never happen, which was why she was going to take matters into her own hands._

 _Thankfully her father was still in his cabin below, and since there were only a few crew members on the main deck, she was able to sneak her way over to one of the row boats. She climbed into the small boat and began to loosen the ropes. She had gotten one of the ropes lose and was about to untie the other until a voice stopped her._

" _Cassandra?"_

" _Mr. Smee," Cassandra gasped, "I uh… I thought were with my dad, discussing about… whatever it is that needs to be discussed" Cassandra said, fumbling with her words._

" _What are you doing with the row boats?" he asked, concerned._

" _Oh, well I noticed some of the ropes were coming loose," she began, grabbing the rope she originally untied, but then re-tied it, "and so I thought I'd tighten them up. That's all," she lied._

" _You weren't thinking of venturing off to the island, were you? You know how your father feels about you leaving the ship."_

" _Of course not," she laughed half-heartedly, "What kind of daughter would I be to go against my father's orders?" she mocked, "Besides, even if I were to go off and explore the island… what my father doesn't know, won't hurt him."_

" _Really, is that so?" Cassandra's eyes widen, as her father came into full view._

" _Dad!" she exclaimed, with an awkward grin, "I was only looking at the island! I wasn't actually planning to –" Cassie started but then her father held up his hand, signaling her to stop talking._

" _Mr. Smee will you be so kind and give us a moment? I'd like to have a word_ _with my daughter," he ordered, his eyes never tearing away from his daughter._

" _Of course, Cap'n," Smee stuttered, nodding his head in compliance._

 _Cassandra rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the boat and walked away, her father trailing behind her._

" _How many times must I tell you Cassandra, you are not –"_

" _Not to leave the ship" Cassandra echoed in unison._

" _Without asking me first," he finished, causing Cassandra to stop in her tracks and spin around._

" _Would you have let me go if I did?" she challenged, only to be responded with silence, "That's what I thought," she scoffed._

" _Try to understand me lass, I'm doing this to protect you. I- we already lost Milah, I can't lose you too," Killian spoke softly, his eyes pleading._

" _And I need you to understand that I'm not a little girl anymore!" Cassandra argued back, "I'm a pirate for gods sakes; and a pirate shouldn't be seeing the world through a port window."_

" _I hear you lass, I do."_

" _Then for once just let me go out and explore. Starting with this island," she breathed out._

" _No. Absolutely not" her father protested._

" _What? Did you even listen to a word I just s –"_

" _Of course, I did Cassie" he interrupted, placing his hands on his daughter's shoulders, "And I promise you, the next place we travel to, I'll let you come with me. But whilst we are in_ this _realm, you are to remain on this_ _ship. Do I make myself clear?"_

 _Cassandra was about to argue back, but when she looked into her father's eyes, she saw a wave of fear in them. A type of fear she'd never seen before, not even when he lost Milah. So, she decided to the drop the conversation. For now, at least._

" _Fine," she huffed. "Can you at least tell me more about this place? You only told me of its name and how time doesn't exist here. I mean, what is so dangerous about this island anyway?"_

 _Before her father could even utter a word out, he was interrupted by one of his crew members._

" _Cap'n!" the crew member called out._

" _What is it?" he demanded._

" _We spotted a boy. He landed in the water near the ship."_

" _Pull him up then," Killian ordered, "he could be of some use to us."_

 _Immediately following their Captain's orders, they threw a rope into the water as one of the crew members managed to loop the rope around the boy's waist. As the boy was being pulled up by the other crew members, Cassandra left her father's side to grab a blanket and some dry clothes for the young boy._

 _By the time she returned with everything, the boy was seen laying on deck, coughing up water as he began to regain consciousness._

" _Good lad. Get the sea out of your lungs" Killian commented._

" _Who are you?" the boy asked, staring up at Cassandra and her father._

" _The name's Hook, Captain Hook. Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, my boy."_

 _ **Neverland – Present**_

Cassie walked out of the shadows of the jungle sporting on a new set of clothes and re-entered the campsite. She grew tired of wearing the same filthy clothes, so she decided to change into the garments Pan offered earlier, much to her dismay.

Pan took notice of her wardrobe change and was delighted. She was beginning to look like the Lost Girl he used to know. He felt a twinge in his memory of the first time she stepped foot onto Neverland. At first, she despised him, but over time they became friends and soon later that friendship turned into something more.

As he kept a close eye on Cassie, he watched how the flames from the bonfire highlighted her face. Even covered in dirt, Pan still found her beautiful. Her long chestnut hair was pulled back in a messy half up-half down hairdo, with little strands that hung loosely in her face. And instead of seeing her cheeks filled with a rosy blush, they were smeared with patches of dirt. While he stared longingly at those pink plump lips of hers, he thought back to their first kiss. How perfectly their lips fitted together, and how the taste of salted sea water lingered afterwards. Oh, how he wished so much to have those same lips touch his again.

Becoming frustrated with himself, Pan stood up from where he was sitting and walked towards the girl.

"Still not joining the celebration?"

"I already told you, I don't feel like dancing" Cassie grumbled. "Besides, there's nothing worth celebrating."

"Nothing to celebrate… this whole party is for you!" Pan exclaimed.

"And what exactly are we celebrating?" Cassie asked sarcastically.

"Your homecoming of course," he responded, only to have Cassie arch her eyebrow questioningly, "And I for one, can't think of a better reason more deserving of a celebration than that."

Cassie turned her attention back to the roaring flames, wondering if Pan was telling the truth. Yet somehow deep down, she couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

"Dance with me," Pan said, holding his hand out.

"Yeah right, like I'll ever dance with you," she scoffed.

"Well I wasn't asking," Pan said, "And besides, if my memory serves me right, a certain _someone_ owes me a favor" he mocked.

"Fine," Cassie huffed, "but just one dance."

Pan took Cassie's hand in his and pulled her up from the log. Placing his hand on Cassie's waist, Pan pulled her closer to him, making Cassie gasp from the sudden action. She felt a bit of heat creeping up her neck and ears. Pan noticed the blush forming on her face and found it amusing.

"Relax," Pan whispered, "There's no need to fight against it. Let the music flow through you," he coaxed smoothly.

With his hands resting on her hips, Pan felt Cassie's body become less tense. He noticed her eyes soften, as she watched everyone around her dancing and having fun. It reminded Pan of the girl he first met in the forest outside the village all those years ago. She looked so lost and in need of a friend. She held a desire for adventure; still does, but something was always preventing her from experiencing it.

Pan saw Cassie open her mouth as if she were to say something, but before she could, Pan felt a wave of magic rush through him, no doubt that Cassie felt it too. All around them, the Lost Boys dropped like flies. Cassie turned to face Henry, but when she did, he fell over and face planted into the ground.

"Henry!" Cassie gasped, kneeling beside him.

Cassie tried shaking him gently, but he wouldn't wake up; then it dawned on her. _Sleeping spell_. Pan stepped a few feet away from the two siblings to see who their party crashers were. "Seems we have a guest," he announced, his eyes darting through the trees, "You know how much I like guessing games."

Hoping it was her family, Cassie left Henry's side briefly to check it out herself, but Pan stopped her and pulled her against his chest.

"Who could it be?" he taunted, "Do you know Cassie?" Pan asked, his hot breath against her neck. Cassie cringed and tried to pull away, but Pan held onto her and chuckled, "I guess… the Dark One."

With a wave of his hand, Pan relit the bonfire revealing Rumpel standing amongst them.

"Come to save Henry have you laddie? How exciting" Pan stated sarcastically, "The Dark One ready to sacrifice his life for his family."

Even though Rumpel was technically Henry's grandfather by blood, Cassie would never consider him family. Not after everything he's done to her father and herself. From all the emotions that flooded through her, Cassie seemed unaware of her actions; she unconsciously tightened her grip around Pan's arm out of unknown fear. Pan noticed the little, and though he didn't show it, but on the inside, he was thrilled.

"Speaking of family, you can come out now Baelfire."

Cassie turned her attention back towards the jungle when she heard shuffling in the bushes. Her eyes widen at the sight of Neal – alive— walking out of the jungle with a loaded crossbow in his grasp.

"Name's Neal now," Neal corrected, aiming the crossbow at Pan.

"New name but the same old tricks. It's heartwarming to see father and son working together; especially after you abandoned him Rumpel," Pan mocked, "This is a _real_ family reunion."

"What are you waiting for?" Rumpel hissed.

"I've got this" Neal mumbled; he raised the crossbow higher and not a second later the arrow flew right at Pan. Before it could hit Cassie, Pan pushed her out of the way causing her to fall to the ground. When she looked back at Pan, he was smirking as he held the arrow an inch away from his chest.

"Clever," Pan commented, "But we've been through this before Baelfire. Have you remembered nothing?"

"I remembered plenty," Neal said lowering his bow while Pan tossed the arrow to the side, "That's why I didn't coat the tip."

Pan froze as a stream of magic travelled up his arm. Neal dropped his bow and ran over to Cassie and Henry.

"Cassie," Neal breathed, pulling the young girl in for a hug, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Cassie said reassuringly, "Just grab Henry." Neal nodded in agreement and picked Henry up.

"Well how about that," Pan spoke, "I'm impressed. But are you sure you're really saving them Bae?"

"What could be worse than leaving them here with you?" Neal questioned, taking Cassie's hand into his.

"How about you ask your father?" Pan grinned, "Sometimes the people you should fear the most are the ones closest to us."

"What's he talking about?" Neal asked, turning his attention to Rumpel.

"Don't listen to him" Rumpel hissed.

"You mean you haven't told him?" Pan asked, with a smug look growing on his face.

"Told me what?" Neal asked, clearly losing his patience.

"Why, the prophecy of course," Pan replied, grinning darkly, "It says you've been tricked. Your father isn't here to save your son. He's here to murder him."

 _ **Neverland – Past**_

 _The next morning, Cassie was up bright and early sketching away in her journal. She couldn't stop thinking about the boy they fished out of the water the night before. Something about him seemed familiar to her. Closing her journal, Cassie looked over her shoulder to see her father chatting with Mr. Smee; no doubt it was about the boy who occupied one of their cabins below. She knew her father had gone down earlier to try talking with the lad, so she asked how everything went, but her father said the boy was still asleep. That was a lie; and Cassie knew it._

 _So, she took it upon herself to see who this boy really was._

 _Walking below deck, Cassie carried a small plate of grapefruit and boiled mackerel. Knocking on the cabin door, Cassie waited for a response._

" _Go away! I have nothing more to say to you pirate!"_

" _You are mistaking me for someone else" Cassie scoffed, entering the room._

" _Who are you?" the boy asked, standing up defensively._

" _The name's Cassandra, but you can call me Cassie," she smiled, "Anyways, I figured you might be hungry, so I brought you breakfast," Cassie said, placing the food down in front of the boy._

 _Cautiously walking over to the plate, the boy looked down at the food in front of him and made a face._

" _I know; it doesn't look very appetizing, if I were you, I'd stick with the grapefruit." Cassie joked._

 _The boy was about to dig into the grapefruit but paused when he realized something, "Wait, I saw you last night. Is that pirate keeping you a prisoner too?"_

" _If you call not being allowed to leave the ship without permission or a bodyguard than yes," Cassie said, "No, I'm the daughter of the pirate you speak so kindly of."_

 _The young lad dropped the piece of fruit back onto the plate and pushed it away out of disgust. "I'm not very hungry anymore," he mumbled._

" _If you're worried if the food is poisoned, it's not" Cassie reassured._

" _Poisoned or not, I don't trust pirates. Especially the one pirate who destroyed my family," the boy spat. Cassie's expression softened upon hearing this, "Why am I even telling you this, not like you care or anything," the boy grumbled._

" _Actually, I do," Cassie sighed as she took a seat near the bay window, "Because my family got hurt as well," she admitted, patting the spot next her. The boy was hesitant at first, but he sat next to the young female pirate and allowed her to continue._

" _It's the whole reason why we're here in Neverland; to get revenge on the crocodile who destroyed my family."_

" _You're getting revenge on a crocodile?" the boy asked in disbelief._

 _Cassie let out a dry laugh, "Not an actual crocodile, just a nickname for the monster who killed my mother; well step-mother anyway," she corrected herself, "But she treated me as if I was her own. Unlike my real mother who abandoned me when I was a baby and left me on my father's ship."_

" _I… I didn't know," the boy said, clearly at loss for words._

" _How could you? You were just pulled out of the sea not too long ago."_

" _Yes, but no one deserves to be abandoned. Not even a pirate… like you."_

" _You see? Not all of us pirates are terrible," she joked, "Now if you'll excuse me, I better head back up before my dad begins to wonder where I am," Cassie stated as she was halfway out the door, but stopped and turned around, "I almost forgot, I never got your name."_

" _It's Baelfire."_

 _Cassie was caught off guard when she heard his name, but she made sure not to show it. Clearing her throat, she gave Baelfire a soft smile._

" _Well, enjoy your breakfast Baelfire. You're welcome to come up deck whenever you feel like."_

 _With that, Cassie excused herself and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once Baelfire was out of sight, her smile faltered. She glanced back over her shoulder, now knowing who sat behind the closed door. Cassie understood now why the boy looked so familiar; it was because she knew his mother._

" _Father," Cassie growled, marching her way back up to the main deck._

 _ **Neverland – Present**_

After the whole trapping Pan with squid ink, Rumpel managed to teleport everyone to a different location on the island, away from Pan and his Lost Boys.

However, once they were in the clear of Pan, Neal blew up at his father. Questioning what Pan meant by his father wanting to get rid of Henry. The two men argued for a bit until Neal finally pushed it out of his father. Rumpel confirmed Pan's words explaining how there was a seer and she told him of a prophecy. That a boy would unite him and Neal, yet the boy would also be his undoing.

To say Neal was outraged would be an understatement; yet Rumpel claimed he didn't know the boy would be his grandson. Not until he found Neal was in New York and Neal was his father.

Not wanting to take any risks, Neal clasped hands with his father and the Dark One stood frozen, concealed by a blue aura of magic. With that, Neal picked up Henry and grabbed Cassie's hand, making the choice of abandoning his father once again.

Now here they were, trudging through Neverland while Cassie used her magic to conceal Neal, Henry and herself from anyone finding them.

"Feeling okay Cass?" Neal asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. She wasn't, in fact the magic she was using for the last few hours drained her. But she didn't want to tell Neal because then he would worry and tell her to stop.

She couldn't though, especially if it kept the three of them hidden from Pan. The two continued walking in silence and for the next few minutes everything seemed okay until Cassie felt her knees buckle and she collapsed.

"Cassie!" Neal yelled as he tried to catch her.

Setting his son down, Neal guided Cassie towards a boulder and had her sit down.

"Cass," Neal whispered, his eyes filled with concern.

Cassie groaned in response as she held head, "I'm sorry. I thought I could…"

"No," Neal said, "It's not your fault, I shouldn't have asked you to keep us hidden. I knew how much you hated using magic, and yet I still made you."

"You didn't make me," Cassie said, taking slow big breaths, "I guess from keeping my magic bottled up, I'm just not used to using it for an extended time."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm going keep letting you use it."

"But if I don't than Pan will find us!" Cassie argued.

"But if I keep letting you use magic while you're weak, who knows what will happen. And frankly, I don't want to see my sister getting hurt," Neal said, as if stating the obvious.

Cassie looked up surprised when she heard Neal referred to her as his sister.

"You really think of me as your sister?"

"Yeah, why so surprised?"

"Well, it's just that when you came to Storybrooke, you never said a word to me. So, I assumed you hated me or something," Cassie spoke truthfully causing to Neal tilt his head in confusion, "You know… because of what happened to Milah?" Cassie said shyly, not wanting to go into full detail as she feared she may reopen old wounds.

Neal sighed heavily, nodding in understanding, "I never blamed you for my mom's death Cass, not even your dad. Okay I did at first, but at the time, I was an angry 12 year old boy who lost his family," he explained.

"Milah was the closest thing I ever had to a mother, and when she died, I was overwhelmed with so much sadness and anger. Then there was my dad, of course he was heartbroken too, but he was more consumed with hatred and revenge, I felt like I lost him too that day. He was there, but at the same time he wasn't," Cassie admitted sadly.

"Sounds like something else we have in common" Neal pointed out, glumly.

Neal and Cassie sat in silence once more. As he glanced back down at his son, Neal realized they should keep moving.

"Do you think you'll be alright to hike a few more miles?"

"I think so yeah," Cassie said standing up.

"Let's get going then," Neal instructed as he placed Henry over his shoulder, "And don't worry about hiding us, hopefully we'll find Emma and the others soon."

"Neal," Cassie began to argue, but Neal cut her off.

"No buts Cass. I can still see how exhausted you are. So, I'll say it again, no magic," Neal said, walking ahead.

Cassie huffed in annoyance but followed Neal's trail.

 _ **Neverland – Past**_

 _Killian was back behind the pirate's wheel, navigating the Jolly Roger through Neverland's waters. As he steered the ship, he was in the middle of a discussion with Smee about Baelfire's presence on the ship, at least until Killian heard Cassandra call out for him._

" _Why didn't you tell me?" Cassandra asked, angrily._

" _Tell you what lass?" Killian asked, his eyes looking forward._

" _That we have_ Baelfire _on this ship?" She stated, crossing her arms accusingly._

 _Cassandra had her father's full attention the moment he heard her mention the boy's name._

 _Smee's eyes widen as he nervously glanced back and forth between the young girl shooting daggers at her father while said father held a blank expression. Sensing the tension between the two pirates, he cleared his throat out of awkwardness. "I'll give you two a moment to… discuss things," Smee swallowed, shuffling away quickly._

" _How did you find out?"_

" _Unlike_ some people _, I was nice to him. Gave him food and water, then we talked for a while. Obviously, I needed to know his name, so…"_

" _I was going to tell you lass-"_

" _When?" Cassie spat, "When he was no longer on this ship? And let me guess, because he's the Dark One's son, you plan on using him, don't you?" she accused._

 _Her father responded by raising his hook to his lips, gesturing Cassandra to keep her voice low. She rolled her eyes at her father. "I should have known," she scoffed,_

" _Hear me out lass, that boy is the_ key _to our revenge –"_

" _Are you serious? Do you even hear yourself?" Cassandra shouted, "I mean that boy you're talking about is_ Milah's son _. The boy that you both agreed on travelling back for so we could be a family. And what, because Milah is dead, Baelfire means nothing to us now?" Cassandra asked in snarky tone, "Because I for one, sure as hell don't think that!" she said, stomping away._


End file.
